What projects should Fulton County prioritize in TSPLOST? (Atlanta, Cumming: home, construction)

[primaltech]

A multi-modal passenger rail hub in the city, would probably not have anything to do with MARTA besides being connected to it, and would probably not be funded by any kind of T-SPLOST in any local jurisdiction.

It would need to be funded by the state. And should be. With federal help.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by primaltech

I think there will be zero rail, Amazon or no Amazon. They'll just improve bus service in north and south Fulton, citing costs.

Nothing progressive ever happens around here.

I hope you're wrong. Maybe, just maybe, finally something will get going this time.

[primaltech]

I mean, if they're only going to do half/ only add the 2 more stations just to Holcomb Bridge, and not the comprehensive 5 station plan to Windward Pkwy that MARTA has had and planned for years now, then what's even really the point?

If you have to transfer to bus to get to Alpharetta, then you might as well have to transfer to bus to get to Roswell, too. It's not really a big difference. Might as well just have it all via bus.

And I think that's the argument they'll use. They'll say, "look, this other plan that we designed only gets heavy rail to Roswell anyway, so might as well just go with this other plan we designed that has all this other BRT!" Classic strategy.

When the reality is, if money is really that tight, then they're better off putting 100% towards extending rail to Windward, with no other improvements in N Fulton, and only bus improvements in S Fulton.

But they won't do it, and my hunch is that it has nothing at all to do with money. Community opposition to rail. It's the same old-conservative-white-people-bemoaning-big-city thing that we've had in our north suburbs for ages.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by primaltech

I mean, if they're only going to do half/ only add the 2 more stations just to Holcomb Bridge, and not the comprehensive 5 station plan to Windward Pkwy that MARTA has had and planned for years now, then what's even really the point?

If you have to transfer to bus to get to Alpharetta, then you might as well have to transfer to bus to get to Roswell, too. It's not really a big difference. Might as well just have it all via bus.

And I think that's the argument they'll use. They'll say, "look, this other plan that we designed only gets heavy rail to Roswell anyway, so might as well just go with this other plan we designed that has all this other BRT!" Classic strategy.

When the reality is, if money is really that tight, then they're better off putting 100% towards extending rail to Windward, with no other improvements in N Fulton, and only bus improvements in S Fulton.

But they won't do it, and my hunch is that it has nothing at all to do with money. Community opposition to rail. It's the same old-conservative-white-people-bemoaning-big-city thing that we've had in our north suburbs for ages.

The problem is that HRT expansion is friggin' expensive. It just may have to come in phases.

Still, I hate the idea of Holcomb Bridge becoming the terminal station for a number of reasons, part of which that that area is already a traffic cluster****. Add an additional 6000-7000 riders per day from that point (which is what North Springs currently does) and it'd just make a bad situation worse.

I hope they could extend the line just one more station. Take it up to just west of North Point Mall. I'm thinking around Encore Parkway + another multiuse development in there.

[primaltech]

Agreed, at least have one more station, for Alpharetta. To serve North Point Pkwy, and just be a park&ride hub for Alpharetta, Milton, and Johns Creek.

Maybe end the line there, with 3 new stations including Northridge. But don't end the line at Holcomb Bridge. That's silly. There's no way funds are that tight, that they can't build 10 miles of track/ 3 new MARTA stations.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by primaltech

Agreed, at least have one more station, for Alpharetta. To serve North Point Pkwy, and just be a park&ride hub for Alpharetta, Milton, and Johns Creek.

Maybe end the line there, with 3 new stations including Northridge. But don't end the line at Holcomb Bridge. That's silly. There's no way funds are that tight, that they can't build 10 miles of track/ 3 new MARTA stations.

Yup. They could recoup some of those costs by cutting the proposed BRT on Holcomb Bridge and further up 400. Regular bus coverage should be plenty for now for Holcomb Bridge.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by toll_booth

Yup. They could recoup some of those costs by cutting the proposed BRT on Holcomb Bridge and further up 400. Regular bus coverage should be plenty for now for Holcomb Bridge.

Agree, do not see where the Holcomb Bridge BRT will get a dedicated lane. Demand riders of North Fulton are not going to ride local buses, but will drive their cars to a HRT station. BUILD RAIL!

[brown_dog_us]

Originally Posted by AnsleyPark

Should Amazon happen to move here, do you guys think that'll impact rail expansion plans?

Probably. Especially if it's the Gulch site. A lot of those 50k employees will have kids and want to live in the suburbs, and they can't pay people enough to make the commute from Windward to the Gulch by car. Soul crushing!

On the flipside, I think Amazon will want concrete transportation plans with guaranteed financing before they agree to a site. I'm not sure Metro Atlanta and the State can get out of their own way to make that happen.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by toll_booth

The problem is that HRT expansion is friggin' expensive. It just may have to come in phases.

Still, I hate the idea of Holcomb Bridge becoming the terminal station for a number of reasons, part of which that that area is already a traffic cluster****. Add an additional 6000-7000 riders per day from that point (which is what North Springs currently does) and it'd just make a bad situation worse.

I hope they could extend the line just one more station. Take it up to just west of North Point Mall. I'm thinking around Encore Parkway + another multiuse development in there.

North Point would be a good spot. And it can serve as a destination for employment as well. I'm not entirely sold on going all the way to Alpharetta is a good use of money. There's a lot of empty land still between Alpharetta and North Point so you are spending a lot for limited additional ridership.

[primaltech]

To me it more has to do with the road structure.

Starting at Mansell Rd, all the roads are well-connected. Because of North Point Pkwy, Westside Pkwy, and just being connected to each other. Therefore one station for that area, would kind of serve the whole Alpharetta area, all the way up to Windward.

Whereas if the last station is at Holcomb Bridge Rd @ 400, none of that area is easily accessible to there. It's cut off.