ATLANTA — The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) advanced the Clayton Southlake bus rapid transit (BRT) project as the Board of Directors on Thursday approved to solicit proposals for final design services for the entire alignment and a potential airport connection.
The proposed MARTA Rapid Southlake alignment runs south of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport along local bus route 196, providing service to Clayton County from College Park, Riverdale, Southern Regional Medical Center, and Southlake Mall, and considers a completed concept study for direct connectivity to Airport Station.
The current 15.5-mile alignment proposes at least 13 stations with rail-like amenities such as off board fare payment, level boarding, seating, and digital signage and has a total projected conceptual cost of about $338 million.
The project goal is to implement mpre 50 percent of new, dedicated lanes for buses, which could be improved as project development progresses and an amended locally preferred alternative (LPA) is considered in early spring.
The solicitation for proposals specifically seeks architectural and engineering services for final design of:
— MARTA Rapid Southlake segment 1: South of I-285 with 30 to 100 percent design.
— MARTA Rapid Southlake segment 2: North of I-285 with two options.
The design services also include working collaboratively with the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) process.
As with all MARTA solicitations and procurements, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion will review the proposal documents during the pre-planning phase of the solicitation process to identify opportunities for disadvantaged, small, and minority business participation.
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