MARTA has secured a $25 million federal grant that agency officials say will improve mobility and the transit experience in one of Georgia’s most populated counties.
The Federal Transit Administration Buses and Bus Facilities Program funding will cover the bulk of construction costs for a project called the South DeKalb Transit Hub. It’s set to be built adjacent to the Gallery at South DeKalb (formerly South DeKalb Mall) on Candler Road, about 10 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta.
According to MARTA officials, the tech-enabled, multimodal hub will span 2,500 square feet and serve four high-ridership bus routes that border Georgia’s 4th and 5th Congressional districts. Those are Route 15 (Candler Road), Route 186 (Rainbow Way), Route 74 (Flat Shoals), and Route 9 (Boulevard/Tilson Road).
Courtesy of MARTA
Plans call for sheltered spaces for purchasing fares and catching or transferring buses, park-and-ride availability, real-time service information, and SMART restrooms that employ technology to keep themselves maintained and safe. MARTA officials say proximity to the mall will help boost safety and parking availability for a “vital link” serving the southern section of one of its original partner counties.
The South DeKalb Transit Hub, originally identified in the DeKalb County Transit Master Plan, is expected to cost $37.5 million total, with MARTA’s capital budget footing the remainder of the bill.
MARTA officials credited “Transit Superheroes” at the federal level of government, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the agency’s federal delegation with helping make the funding a reality.
According to MARTA general manager and CEO Collie Greenwood, the $25 million grant is the full amount MARTA had requested. “[It] covers almost 70 percent of the funding for this project and supports the improvement of bus facilities and amenities and workforce development in DeKalb,” Greenwood said in a prepared statement.
MARTA’s schedule calls for opening the new South DeKalb facility in 2026.
Courtesy of MARTA
Congresswoman Nikema Williams, whose 5th Congressional District will be served by the new hub, said the funding “underscores our commitment to advancing transit equity” and is part of a broader push to build “stronger connections to jobs and economic opportunity for everyone.”
Another funding backer, U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA), predicted the bipartisan infrastructure legislation “will deliver long-overdue upgrades to Georgia’s infrastructure for years to come.”
Courtesy of MARTA
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