MARTA kicks off construction of next new transit lines

MARTA has officially begun construction on what it calls a new type of transportation for Atlantans. 

The transit agency kicked off work today on the Cleveland-Metropolitan Arterial Rapid Transit, or ART, project, marking the city’s first example of the enhanced bus service. 

The southside routes are being implemented in partnership with the City of Atlanta, through the More MARTA tax program approved by voters in 2016. 

The ART concept has drawn praise for being cheaper and quicker to implement than more traditional Bus Rapid Transit lines, such as the new MARTA Rapid A-Line, and rail—but it’s also been criticized for being less effective at quickly moving passengers through the city than those options.

According to MARTA officials, ART is designed to offer more reliable and consistent bus transportation.

That’s achieved with Transit Signal Priority, or TSP, that prioritizes buses at key traffic intersections to allow them to move faster and stay on time. MARTA says ART buses will share lanes with regular traffic but arrive at stops every 15 to 20 minutes. 

ART plans also call for larger and enhanced bus shelters (with real-time arrival info, better lighting, and seating), along with limited stop service “designed to save time and improve rider experience by having fewer stops than a local route,” per agency officials.  

The Cleveland Avenue ART route will follow most of MARTA’s existing bus Route 78 (Cleveland Avenue) from East Point Station to Jonesboro Road, per the agency. The goal is to provide a more direct path by removing the current bus loop around Browns Mill Golf Course. 

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Parkway ART route will aim to enhance service along the highest-ridership segment of today’s Route 95 (Metropolitan Parkway). It will link MARTA’s West End Station to Cleveland Avenue, near a Walmart in the area.    

According to MARTA, construction on the Atlanta section of the project has begun on Metropolitan Parkway at St. Johns Avenue SW, at the north entrance for Atlanta Technical College. 

In the City of East Point, work will start at Bayard Street and move east along Cleveland Avenue.  

MARTA says residents in construction areas can expect sidewalk closures, short-term traffic impacts, and temporary bus-stop relocations, though access to businesses and homes will remain open. 

MARTA completed design work on the city’s first ART project in August 2023. No timeline for construction to finish has been specified.  

Another 10-mile bus ART project is in design phases for Buford Highway. The agency awarded $4.7 million to HNTB Corporation, an architecture and infrastructure firm, for design work earlier this year. 

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