Clifton Corridor
Proposed transportation corridor in Georgia, US
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Clifton Corridor is a proposed public transportation corridor in and near Atlanta, Georgia, roughly connecting the Buckhead, Emory University, and Decatur areas.
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Proposed route
The proposed route stretches from:
- Lindbergh Center at the southern end of Buckhead
- Eastwards following the existing CSX rail corridor
- Stations near the CDC, Emory University and Veterans Administration campus
- Possible continuation along the northern edge of Decatur via Suburban Plaza on N. Decatur Rd.
- Terminus at the Avondale MARTA station
MARTA selected light rail as the preferred mode for the corridor in 2012. Emory strongly supports rapid transit in the corridor.[1]
History
A local rail service along the Clifton Corridor was envisioned as early as 1961, when the line was included on maps for a potential regional transportation system.[2]
In March 2012, after considering bus, light rail and heavy rail rapid-transit options,[3] MARTA recommended a light rail option.[4] In Summer 2012, there was a referendum on a 1-cent sales tax (SPLOST) to fund traffic and road improvements. If approved, the tax would have provided $700 million to fund rapid transit along the Clifton Corridor.[5] The measure was defeated by voters.
By the summer of 2018, MARTA updated the Clifton Corridor fact sheet with Alternative 6 shown as the selected routing split into two phases. At that time, MARTA estimated construction of first phase from Lindburgh to North Decatur / Clairmont to begin in 2022 and be complete and operational by 2026. The initial segment was estimated to cost between $900 million to $1.3 billion, with build-out of the full line running $1.8–2.1 billion.[6][non-primary source needed]
However, as of January 2022 MARTA has not yet allocated funding for construction, which prevents the Federal Transit Administration from allocating matching funds.[7][8] By February 2023, MARTA had eliminated the light rail option and was proceeding to plan a bus rapid transit line along the corridor.[9]
Stations
MARTA proposed stations at:[6]
- Lindbergh Center
- Cheshire Bridge Road (near Faulkner Road and the Morningside Nature Preserve
- Sage Hill / Briarcliff (near the intersection of Briarcliff Road, Johnson Road, and Zonolite Road)
- CDC/Emory Conference Center
- Emory-Rollins
- Andrews Circle
- North Decatur / Clairmont
- Suburban Plaza
- DeKalb Medical Center
- Irwin Way
- Your Dekalb Farmers Market
- Avondale MARTA station