FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 8, 2022
MARTA ADVANCES CLAYTON COUNTY OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE
FACILITY PROJECT, HONORS TRANSIT EXPANSION COMMITMENT
ATLANTA - The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid
Transit Authority (MARTA) is advancing the Clayton County Operations &
Maintenance (O&M) Facility project, recently selecting a design firm, as
the Authority continues to honor its commitment to expand transit service and
amenities in Clayton County.
The MARTA Board of Directors Planning &
Capital Programs Committee recently approved engineering and design firm STV
Incorporated to build on the work done in-house and complete the design of the Clayton O&M Facility.
The facility will support 31 regional bus routes, while increasing efficiency
and reducing operational costs. The final building design will
include parking for 250 buses, infrastructure to support bus service such as a
fare retrieval system, fueling area, and bus wash, along with a wellness
center, MARTA police precinct and firing range. The
project is estimated to support over 350 construction jobs, as well as more
than 700 new permanent jobs.
The Clayton County Operations &
Maintenance Facility project has received $33 million in federal support; two
Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Buses and Bus Facilities grants, $13
million in 2019 and $15 million in 2022, and a $5 million earmark secured by
Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock.
“The strong federal support for this
project underscores its importance and value to Clayton County and the entire
south metro Atlanta area,” said MARTA Interim General Manager and CEO Collie
Greenwood. “For MARTA, it means not only will we provide transit service in
Clayton, we will live there, too.”
Federal support will be instrumental as
MARTA continues to enhance and expand transit service in Clayton. Clayton Southlake bus rapid transit (BRT) is currently in
the Project Development phase of the FTA’s Capital Investment Grant
(CIG) Program as a Small Starts Project. This is MARTA’s first application to
the federal CIG Program since the Red Line was extended to North Springs. The
estimated $338 million project will provide high-capacity transit connecting
the College Park Station to several key destinations and spur transit-oriented
development (TOD) along the BRT corridor, an effort that received a $1 million
boost this year with an FTA TOD planning grant.
MARTA continues to deliver on its
commitment to improve bus service and amenities in Clayton, constructing
shelters at high ridership stops and placing Breeze machines at the Justice
Center Transit Hub in Jonesboro. Enhancements include better lighting and seating,
and real-time service information. MARTA is on track to complete the planned
175 bus stop and shelter upgrades before 2024, and recently, implemented two
new bus routes, the 197 and 198, exceeding the original agreement for more bus
service in Clayton.
“We are excited to partner with MARTA to
provide the citizens of Clayton County improvements like the O&M Facility
as well as access to bus stop shelters to offer a better experience for
riders,” said Clayton County Board of Commissioners Chairman Jeffrey E. Turner.
“Projects like these are another testament to the commitment to improve transit
service for our residents. We look forward to breaking ground on these major
projects and exploring other ways to enhance our transit system.”
MARTA’s app-based on-demand transit program
is being piloted at the Gillem Logistics Center in Clayton County. MARTA Reach
is a ridesharing service similar to Uber or Lyft and connects customers in
areas underserved by transit to the greater MARTA system. And MARTA’s SR 54
High-Capacity Transit Initiative is exploring potential alternatives for
high-capacity, fixed-guideway transit in a study corridor extending from East
Point to Lovejoy.
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