CLAYTON COUNTY MARKET REPORT MAY 10-16, 2019
• A29
County implements new transportation initiatives
The Virginia Avenue Smart Corridor Study started in February. RENDERING/SPECIAL
BY JANET JONES KENDALL Contributing Writer
As Clayton County continues to develop around Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and beyond, connecting its people and places has become one of its biggest challenges. “The two prominent challenges are maintaining an aging infrastructure and upgrading to a rapidly urbanizing environment, with appropriate roadway shoulders, sidewalks, pedestrian accommodations and accessibility for transit,” said Detrick Stanford, chief operating officer of the Clayton County Board of Commissioners. Those were some of the findings recently in the Aerotropolis Transit Feasibility Study, commissioned Detrick to help create transit solutions in the counStanford ty and the Aerotropolis Atlanta community around the airport. The study focuses on feeder systems to the larger regional system, with a heavy emphasis on Aerotropolis employees, residents and visitors, said Kirsten Mote, the program director for Aerotroplis Atlanta CIDs’ proposed automated bus demo project. Key recommendations include better infrastructure for existing transit, such as sidewalks and bus shelters, she added. Mote’s team has submitted a proposal to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to be a testing ground for
automated buses and receive some of the $60 million the DOT is offering for starter projects. If the project is funded and implemented, it would be the first automated bus around a U.S. airport in mixed traffic, said Mote. “The Aerotropolis strives to be a leader in technology, and this is an example that can be showcased to the world,” she added. The project is a partnership between MARTA, Center for Transportation and Environment, the Aerotropolis, the Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority (the ATL) and the airport. “MARTA provides an integral link to the world’s busiest and most efficient airport and the Aerotropolis community around it,” Stanford said. “The grant applied for addresses integrating innovative technologies into a public transit demonstration serving the airport community, and offers an opportunity to develop a model for other airports, and urban and suburban commercial centers.” The system would serve employees and airport passengers as well as local commuters and residents, he added. The DOT proposal includes two 40-foot electric buses that would operate without drivers, however there would be safety drivers on board, Mote said. The project would run for four years, with the first stage devoted to development and safety testing. The Aerotropolis team is confident it will be awarded the grant, she said, adding that if it does not happen, “Aerotropolis will continue to explore opportunities to implement both transit and technology.” Aside from the grant funds, Aerotropolis and county leaders plan to proceed with
“The Aerotropolis strives to be a leader in technology, and [the proposed automated bus system] is an example that can be showcased to the world.” KIRSTEN MOTE,
Aerotropolis Atlanta CIDs
what the transit study found are immediate action items: R Implementing a “mobility district” and overnight transit service; R Providing high-quality bus stops and bus stop shelters; and, according to the study, R Collaborating with local and regional agencies to advance sidewalk and firstand last-mile upgrades to roadways. Longer-term goals include working with MARTA, the ATL, local governments and the Atlanta Regional Commission on grants to create a proposed Camp Creek Connector, and collaborate with these entities on a South Fulton Parkway BRT, according to the transit study. “There is a significant opportunity for Atlantans to benefit from additional development near the airport, such as jobs, housing, shopping and restaurants,” the transit study executive summary stated. “Additional transit serving the Aerotropolis area will bring about this vision, keep the economy growing and take us to the next level.” In February, the Aerotropolis Atlanta
CIDs and partners, Modern Mobility Partners and KCI Technologies Inc., started what it has called the Virginia Avenue Smart Corridor Study, set to conclude in September. For the study, the entities are evaluating different technologies along a route that extends from U.S. 29/Main Street in College Park, Ga., to South Central Avenue in Hapeville, Ga., focusing on mobility, safety and walkability, said Mote. MARTA itself already had a large presence in Clayton County, with 633 bus stops that support 13 routes and 7,000 riders a day. About 579 residents of Clayton County also work for MARTA itself, according to MARTA spokesperson Stephany Fisher. Last December, the MARTA board of directors adopted two major programs for the county: BRT along GA Highways 139 and 85, and Commuter Rail (CRT) along the existing Norfolk Southern rail line, Fisher added. “These new options address the increased demand from riders, support the planned growth, and connect key employment and activity centers,” she said. “MARTA supports any effort to improve connectivity as our city and state continue to grow.” Piecing together the various transit options in the county was one of the suggestions in the feasibility study. “The Aerotropolis Transit Feasibility Study builds on recently completed studies and reports in Fulton and Clayton Counties to understand micro-level service gaps and transit solutions,” Mote said, adding that her team is partnering with Clayton County and the city of College Park on transportation improvement projects such as a new bus shelter on Phoenix Boulevard and sidewalk development along West Fayetteville Road.