Project Overview

MARTA, in collaboration with the City of Atlanta, is investing in high-capacity transit in the Campbellton Corridor to improve connectivity, accessibility, and mobility in southwest Atlanta. The corridor, which links the Greenbriar Mall area to the Oakland City MARTA Station, is currently served by one of MARTA’s busiest bus routes – 83 Campbellton Road. This historic multimodal investment will greatly enhance the service area and transform how residents travel to jobs, services, and other points of interest while supporting the community’s growth and development for years to come. Project elements include new transit supportive infrastructure along Campbellton Road, including sidewalks, bike lanes, and streetscape improvements. The center-running BRT is 5 miles long with 100% dedicated lanes and will include a transit hub at Greenbriar Mall. This project is currently in the preliminary engineering phase and is projected for completion in 2030.

Project Goals:

  • Increase access to high-capacity transit
  • Improve travel times and reliability
  • Promote transit-supportive development

Meetings and Other Resources

Campbellton Flyover Video

Public Engagement Overview:
MARTA in Your Community

MARTA is committed to keeping the Campbellton community informed and engaged through a variety of efforts, including public, NPU, and neighborhood meetings, pop-up events at Oakland City Station, leadership roundtables, and neighborhood tabling events. To make information more accessible, we develop and distribute fact sheets and newsletters. By partnering with local leaders, businesses, and organizations, we aim to amplify diverse voices and help ensure residents, riders, and community partners continue to play an active role in shaping the future of Campbellton Road.

Project Map

Click on this link to view a map of the project area’s city council districts.

More About Bus Rapid Transit

Learn more about the features of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), including uses in other cities and testimonials or watch the short video below.

Activity Timeline

BEFORE LPA

  • Coordinated with stakeholders to refine proposed station area concepts (February 2021-April 2021)
  • Presented results of alternatives analysis for public feedback (June 2021)
  • Addressed feedback and incorporated public comments (June 2021-February 2022)
  • MARTA Board adopted center-running BRT as the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) (July 2022)
  • Public and stakeholder outreach (Ongoing)
  • Completed Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Master Plan
  • MARTA amended and approved the LPA (August 2023)
ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS Existing Conditions Fall 2019 Kick-off of Alternatives Analysis 2019 Alternatives Definition Spring Fall 2020 Environmental Studies | Final Design | Construction BRT DELIVERY Begin Service Detailed Evaluation Winter 2020 – Spring 2022 LPA Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) Selection MAJOR DECISION POINT July 2022 WE ARE HERE – Amended LPA with Flyover ApprovalAugust 2023 2030

AFTER LPA

  • Environmental studies and engineering activities started (2024 – 2026)
  • Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Implementation (2023 – 2028)
  • Final design to begin (2025)
  • Construction to begin (2028)
  • Begin service (2030)

Federal Funding

The Campbellton Corridor Transit Project is paid for through the More MARTA Atlanta half-penny sales tax, but additional federal funding is also being considered, including the Federal Transit Administration (FTA)’s Small Starts Discretionary Grant Program, a Capital Investment Grant. The City of Atlanta submitted a Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant (MEGA) application to USDOT in May 2022 to implement center-running BRT for the MARTA Rapid Campbellton.

What is the Federal Transit Administration and the Small Starts Discretionary Grant Program?

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is an agency within the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) that provides financial and technical assistance to local public transportation systems including buses, subways, light rail, commuter rail, trolleys, and ferries.
The FTA oversees grants to state and local transit providers primarily through its 10 regional offices. These providers are responsible for managing their programs in accordance with federal requirements, and the FTA is responsible for ensuring that grantees follow federal mandates along with statutory and administrative requirements. The FTA also oversees safety measures and helps develop next-generation technology research.
The Small Starts Grant Agreement (SSGA) is provided as part of the FTA’s Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program that funds transit capital investments including heavy rail, commuter rail, light rail, streetcars, and bus rapid transit.
In 2008, nearly one half of the FTA’s pipeline of projects were light rail transit (LRT), and there were only seven bus rapid transit (BRT) projects being considered for funding. Since 2018, FTA has funded 23 BRT projects and as of January 2022, almost two-thirds of the pipeline are BRT projects. Meanwhile, only six light rail projects are under development in the US.

Land Use and Design

MARTA is also considering opportunities for investment, such as underutilized and vacant properties in the corridor that can support new investment in Transit-Oriented Development (TOD). Transit station locations were identified by reviewing previous plans and studies along the corridor. The process also included analyzing community feedback, as well as existing and future zoning and land use. Activity centers were considered to ensure the stations meet connectivity and mobility needs in the corridor. Bus route 83 has been one of the top three performing routes in the system for the past decade.

Public Feedback

The public provided feedback on land-use barriers for the MARTA Rapid Campbellton/Greenbriar Transit Hub. Key components include:

  • Love that rapid transit will enhance connectivity

  • Wider, safer sidewalks are a priority

  • Implement rapid transit as fast as possible

  • Stakeholders want to see the Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) plan visions come to fruition and projects should help build neighborhoods

  • Many stakeholders in the area are open to redevelopment

  • There should be a range of policy options and collaborative partners

  • The community is excited and optimistic about transit

Transit-Oriented Development

Transit-oriented or “TOD” means development around transit stations that is compact, vibrant, pedestrian-friendly, and seamlessly integrated with transit. There are four principles of TOD:
Station area development is compact and dense relative to its surroundings 1
A rich mix of land uses 2
A great public realm 3
A new approach to parking 4
While the overall scale of development around each station may vary, successful TODs share several key concepts:
  • Development adjacent to the station is dense and compact compared to its surroundings, and includes a rich mix of land uses at a variety of affordability levels so people can work, shop, or go to school within walking distance of transit
  • Development of a great public realm, walkability with sidewalks, amenities such as lighting, street trees, seating, or bicycle transit, and a grid of streets
  • While TOD is centered around a transit station, it also integrates a variety of other mobility options, including pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular transportation. Transit does not mean “no cars,” but it does require less parking than similar development in non-transit-oriented locations

Email us

campbellton@itsmarta.com

troberson@itsmarta.com

Meetings and Other Resources

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