MARTA is on schedule with planned Summerhill Bus Rapid Transit project. A consultant has been hired to oversee the final engineering and design of the region’s first BRT corridor.

Kimley-Horn received an $11.3 million contract, as approved Feb. 11 by the board that oversees MARTA.

Service is to begin by August 2024.

The design team is to work on a route that extends 2.4 miles in Downtown Atlanta. The route is to link the Summerhill neighborhood, located near Georgia State University’s Center Parc Credit Union Stadium and the Atlanta BeltLine’s Southside Trail, with MARTA’s Five Points Station.

The designated route is to traverse Hank Aaron Drive, Capital Avenue, Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, and Mitchell Street, according to MARTA. This route passes destinations including the stadium, state Capitol, Atlanta City Hall, Georgia State University’s main campus, and MARTA’s central station, Five Points.

Buses on this route are to travel in lanes exclusive to their use, in most areas, and are to stop less frequently than traditional buses.

The hiring of a design team is a critical component in order for service to begin on schedule. Construction is slated to begin by August 2022, according to terms outlined in terms of the TIGER IX federal funding program that is helping to pay for the $68 million project.

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By David Pendered, Saporta Report

Full article with map of route