Midtown Transportation Plan (Atlanta, Marietta, Smyrna: cost of, vs., bus)

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by primaltech

OK, so the actual station platforms would probably have to be built under the Peachtree Pointe buildings. While the track is still straight, before it curves. I guess those old condos back there could stay, or they could be replaced with something else. They just don't really seem to fit that area.

I guess the station could be built like Peachtree Center, with no bus loops, no real above ground building to it, just some sheltered escalator/entrance buildings. Definitely there would be one at Peachtree @ Beverly (along with hopefully a development there), and there could be another entrance at the back, if there was new TOD built back there.

I don't know if the station would mess up the provision for the NW line, but I don't know if I care, since that line will never be built, because of Brookwood Hills NIMBY's, for one.

That section of tunnel curves upward for approximately 1,500 feet before the tunnel portal, and even if it was flat, the provision would have to be removed. The Brookwood Hills residents against a NW line opposed it due to MARTA's plans for ripping out a ton of homes along Huntington and 26th for the track/station. It could still be done if the ROW were shifted more along 25th (which would avoid those houses and only affect low-rise commercial).

In any case, this station has less than zero chance of ever happening outside of John Dewberry's mind.

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by Gulch

That section of tunnel curves upward for approximately 1,500 feet before the tunnel portal, and even if it was flat, the provision would have to be removed. The Brookwood Hills residents against a NW line opposed it due to MARTA's plans for ripping out a ton of homes along Huntington and 26th for the track/station. It could still be done if the ROW were shifted more along 25th (which would avoid those houses and only affect low-rise commercial).

In any case, this station has less than zero chance of ever happening outside of John Dewberry's mind.

Heh, it's a fun thought though.

A NW line would certainly take priority, especially if Cobb actually got behind it. The sheer mass of money and political will would likely shatter any resistance the Brookwood Hills residents put up.

That said, I do believe their concerns are valid, but not enough to stop the line. There could be agreements reached to minimize impacts during and after construction. Minimal destruction and road closures prioritized for that part of the line, for example.

[fourthwarden]

Also, I'm very excited about the prospect of a pedestrian corridor along Cyprus St and Peachtree Walk. If you watch the videos, they talk about this almost as if it were to be the 'flagship' street of Midtown. I can't help but think of Broad St and the Farlie-Poplar District downtown in how that might look.

It'd require a LOT of reworking and retrofitting of the buildings along the way, but such a thing would be AMAZING for Midtown. Add in continual improvements to the Peachtree St corridor, and you could end up with some VERY walkable sections of the city, that almost resemble actual dense urban living a-la New York.

[primaltech]

The line would pretty much have to go out to Cobb, as just a stub line to Northside Dr would make little sense at this point. Or even a NW line that went out to West Paces Ferry would be difficult to justify, because of all the low density.

Mainly because of MARTA's color-based system, too. You can't really do a whole new color with just 2 new stations, nor justify having 3 lines run north/south to the airport. Unless there's a ton of new riders on the new line, and a lot of new stations.

If that line ever does get built, the Midtown stations will have some seriously high train frequency. Which, by that time, the circumstances might well justify that. Tons of new towers and density, and an entire county full of new train commuters.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by fourthwarden

I would imagine any street realignments / rebuilds would include maintenance and resurfacing.

I would certainly hope so, the streets in this town are in terrible shape.

If you ever tried driving down Piedmont with a cup of coffee, forget it. You have to pull over to even take a sip.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by primaltech

The line would pretty much have to go out to Cobb, as just a stub line to Northside Dr would make little sense at this point. Or even a NW line that went out to West Paces Ferry would be difficult to justify, because of all the low density.

Wasn't the idea for a Cobb line that it would hook up at Bankhead and go out that way?

I honestly wouldn't worry too much about density. All of metro Atlanta, with a few small exceptions, is probably well below the recommended minimum density for mass transit. If we build new rail lines we're doing it because we like trains and consider them desirable, not simply to move people.

[samiwas1]

Originally Posted by fourthwarden

Are they adding parking, or shifting it? Juniper and Piedmont, for example, have curb-side parking, along with everything else, already. If the plan is to just move it, then you're not doing much harm. In fact, with things like buffered bike lanes, you might actually be improving things.

Juniper has parking during certain hours of the day in certain sections south of 10th. Piedmont does have parking north of 3rd street, but some hours are prohibited. But, this parking is simply in a travel lane, not dedicated parking.

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Wasn't the idea for a Cobb line that it would hook up at Bankhead and go out that way?

No, it would have curved from roughly where the Red/Gold line pops out across I-85, turn west under 26th st. then meet up with the north side of I-75. That was the original plan, and why there were tunnel provisions built that end just before breaking through the hill-side where the Red/Gold lines does.

Using Bankhead was a sort of idea that's never really been seriously considered that I know of. The need of Cobb is to mostly come to Midtown and Downtown, and have easy access to the airport. Using Bankhead would not really do that, hurting ridership.

I honestly wouldn't worry too much about density. All of metro Atlanta, with a few small exceptions, is probably well below the recommended minimum density for mass transit. If we build new rail lines we're doing it because we like trains and consider them desirable, not simply to move people.

We should worry about density, though. To say we would be building new rail lines because we like trains and to dismiss the advantages they present from a capacity, travel time, and system integration stand point. It also ignores the possibility of concentrating density around new stations, and cultivating / guiding already existent demand for development to be transit-oriented.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by fourthwarden

No, it would have curved from roughly where the Red/Gold line pops out across I-85, turn west under 26th st. then meet up with the north side of I-75. That was the original plan, and why there were tunnel provisions built that end just before breaking through the hill-side where the Red/Gold lines does.

Using Bankhead was a sort of idea that's never really been seriously considered that I know of. The need of Cobb is to mostly come to Midtown and Downtown, and have easy access to the airport. Using Bankhead would not really do that, hurting ridership.

Well, I am familiar with the provision near Brookwood, but I thought they were talking about running the Proctor Creek line on out to the Northwest for another station or two and then hopping over into Smyrna and Mableton. Then you could extend that line along 285 up to Cumberland if you wanted to.

You'd pick up more populated areas with that route than you would by going straight up I-75.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by Gulch

The North Ave Station is only less than 1,000 feet from 5th Street/the Biltmore.

True. Still, it'd be nice to have such easy access to Georgia Tech Midtown. And a station located exactly halfway between North Ave. and Midtown wouldn't be much closer to either than Peachtree Center is to Five Points.