Study Purpose and Context

MARTA is undertaking a high-level reassessment and evaluation of transit improvements to the WestLine Corridor that were proposed in 2004. At that time, the MARTA board adopted a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) that recommended a heavy rail extension to the interchange of Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive and I-285 and a Bus Rapid Transit segment along I-20 to Fulton Industrial Boulevard. Since 2004, there have been many changes to study area demographics, land use, growth, and changes to Georgia DOT policies. Because of these changes, MARTA is reassessing the LPA to determine if these recommendations still meet the needs of the corridor.

Study Area

The study area is located in the City of Atlanta and Fulton County approximately five miles west of Downtown Atlanta and is bounded by the Chattahoochee River (Cobb County line) to the west, Bankhead Highway (SR 78) to the north, Hamilton E. Holmes Drive to the east and Cascade Road to the south. Encompassing more than 11,000 acres, the study area includes a population of approximately 35,000 within three City of Atlanta Neighborhood Planning Units: H, I, and J. The study area also includes a portion of the Fulton Industrial Boulevard Business District, home to 30,000 jobs.

Study Approach

The WestLine Corridor Reassessment study consists of two phases:

• Phase I includes initial outreach consisting of interviews with key stakeholders.
• Phase II consists of assessing existing conditions, identifying and evaluating project alternatives, and producing recommendations.

The outcome of the WestLine Reassessment is expected to be an alternative with strong public support from both neighborhoods and businesses.

Please click on the Fact Sheet of interest.

• Fact Sheet 1 – Fall 2012
  

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Please scroll down to find the document(s) of interest. Some documents have been subdivided into chapters for easier download. Please click on the document name or document chapter title to view. Documents over 5 MB have been noted. Documents will be added once they become available.

The western portions of Fulton County near Interstate 20 are home to several industrial parks which provide jobs to thousands of metro Atlantans, thus making the area a natural site for the extension of high capacity transit services. In fact, this area has always been a part of MARTA expansion plans as far back as the original MARTA Referendum Plan. However, the current proposed West Line Corridor extends from the existing Hamilton E. Holmes rail station to Fulton Industrial Boulevard and includes the Adamsville, Delmar-Westhaven, and Fairburn Heights Communities as well as the Fulton Industrial Boulevard Business District. The original proposed extension ended at Brownlee.

Although the original Referendum Plan included rail service all the way to Fulton Industrial Boulevard, a combined Alternatives Analysis/Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) report revealed that a multi-modal alternative would best serve the various transit needs within the Corridor.

To that end, the MARTA Board adopted a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA), which features a heavy rail extension to the interchange of Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive and I-285 and a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) segment along I-20 to Fulton Industrial Boulevard. The DEIS was submitted to the FTA for review in March 2005. Currently, MARTA is working with Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) to incorporate the BRT segment into the HOV lane additions planned for I-20 west. Three transit stations are included as part of the alternative (two BRT stations and one heavy rail station).

The next steps include developing a phasing strategy for the BRT and heavy rail segments. This will involve working with Georgia Department of Transportation to prepare a joint Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The previous DEIS work completed by MARTA will be incorporated into this effort as necessary.

Proposed Alignment

• Click here for a map of the Proposed West Line BRT and Heavy Rail extensions.

Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) Report

The LPA Report provides detailed information on how each alternative was evaluated with the help of the community. In addition, the Report identifies the preferred technology and alignment for which environmental impacts will be assessed. The document is presented by chapters for your convenience.

Click on the individual chapters to view them:

• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Basis for Project Alternatives
• Chapter 3: Identification and Development of Alternatives
• Chapter 4: Evaluation Methodology for Environmental Measures
• Chapter 5: Evaluation of Economic Development and Transit Supportive Land Uses
• Chapter 6: Evaluation Methodology for Mobility-Related Measures
• Chapter 7: Evaluation Methodology for Cost and Cost Effectiveness Measures
• Chapter 8: Public Involvement
• Chapter 9: Alternatives Analysis Results and Recommendations
  

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Tameka Wimberly
MARTA
Office of Transit System Planning
2424 Piedmont Road, NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30324-3330
twimberly@itsmarta.com 

Please direct e-mail comments regarding the project website or report broken links to:
twimberly@itsmarta.com