Atlanta Readies for Next Bus Rapid Transit Project
A rendering of potential center-running station design for MARTA's Rapid Southlake BRT line.
Rendering courtesy of MARTA
CDM Smith has been selected to design the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority’s largest bus rapid transit project to date—a 13.6-mile route through suburban Clayton County that will include an elevated guideway into Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Called Rapid Southlake, the high-capacity BRT line will serve approximately 19 stops between the airport and Southlake Mall in the city of Morrow, Ga., mostly utilizing dedicated right-of way and mixed traffic lanes. CDM Smith will also design a pedestrian bridge connector linking the BRT stop with the airport terminal and MARTA rail station. Design work will entail completion of project engineering, construction plans and identification of right-of-way requirements.
According to an announcement from CDM Smith, Rapid Southlake’s current project budget is $355.6 million, with the two-year design phase funded by a one-cent sales tax approved by Clayton County voters in 2014. MARTA says the project has qualified for a streamlined categorical exclusion environmental clearance process from the Federal Transit Administration, and that it has applied for funding under FTA’s Capital Investments Grant Small Starts program, with an eye toward beginning construction in 2028. Revenue service on Rapid Southlake is set to begin in 2030.
As one MARTA BRT project revs up, another is struggling to reach the finish line. The Rapid A-Line, a 5-mile, 14-station roundtrip route that will connect downtown Atlanta with neighborhoods to the south has encountered numerous unforeseen issues since contractor Archer Western began construction in June 2023. The unexpected challenges include shallow waterlines requiring relocation to proper depth; undocumented utilities; trolley tracks determined to be historically significant; and an abandoned underground parking structure.
MARTA says the phased nature of the additional work has pushed the project timeline beyond its original fall 2025 start-up date. In April, the agency’s board of directors approved a $30.3-million modification to Archer Western’s existing nearly $66-million contract, bringing the total allocation for construction to more than $96.2 million. A board presentation indicated that Rapid A-Line service is now scheduled to be implemented in two phases during 2026.
Formerly called Rapid Summerhill, the Rapid A-Line is MARTA’s first new transit line in 25 years, and the start of what the agency envisions as a network of BRT lines complementing its existing rail and bus transit infrastructure. Funded by a $12.6-million federal TIGER grant, MARTA and the City of Atlanta, the project also includes expanded sidewalks, bike infrastructure and realigned traffic lanes, among other work.
