Atlanta Project & Construction List

[RocketSurgeon]

Originally Posted by Sojourner_Terminus

I hope they reconnect 16th Street

Minor (but interesting) historical note: the naming and alignment of the streets in Midtown makes it seem like they used to be connected, but they never were. The broken up layout is an artifact of the haphazard development in the 1800s, before it was part of Atlanta. Streets have been added or realigned since then but I don't know of any ever being removed.

[testarossa50]

With the level of bus service at Marta these days you can do away with almost the entire bus canopy.

Also, they should at least connect 16th for pedestrians! There is, however, quite a grade change right there.

[Sojourner_Terminus]

Originally Posted by RocketSurgeon

Minor (but interesting) historical note: the naming and alignment of the streets in Midtown makes it seem like they used to be connected, but they never were. The broken up layout is an artifact of the haphazard development in the 1800s, before it was part of Atlanta. Streets have been added or realigned since then but I don't know of any ever being removed.

Now that is quite interesting. Explains midtown's at times haphazard layout.

Agree with you there testarossa50. The grade change is pretty significant. Perhaps a wide stair case and wide sidewalks leading to the station/development.

[bryantm3]

Weren't they basically a bunch of different names back then, too? I don't even think they were numbered when they built them.

[shivtim]

Whistler update (Spring and Abercrombie Place)

Source on Twitter

[Julien]

Originally Posted by Sojourner_Terminus

Good points. I was mostly working off the vague assumption they would redevelop the whole block from the ground up. Allowing them to redesign the bus depot/loop.

Honestly the block directly south, with the IBM building, Promenade, etc. is a much worse offender of the super-duper blocks I'm complaining about.

I am all for widening sidewalks and creating protected bike lanes on 17th and elsewhere.

Just to add a little more (worthless) info. I believe the land open for development will be the entire lot (green). I suspect the MARTA Buss entrance/exit would be the same but covered/garage. Also another problem of extending 16th St is elevation difference. 16th St is probably >10' elevated above the MARTA station (red line).

Of course it is basically a "clean sheet" open plan at this point.

[Julien]

Originally Posted by testarossa50

With the level of bus service at Marta these days you can do away with almost the entire bus canopy.

Also, they should at least connect 16th for pedestrians! There is, however, quite a grade change right there.

It is actually fairly busy. Also there are a few shuttles that use it too like Atlantic Station shuttle.

Agree about pedestrians but see my post about elevation. It is FAR too steep and would require a ramping grade that may be impractical. Here is an idea of the elevation problem.

[Sojourner_Terminus]

Originally Posted by Julien

Just to add a little more (worthless) info. I believe the land open for development will be the entire lot (green). I suspect the MARTA Buss entrance/exit would be the same but covered/garage. Also another problem of extending 16th St is elevation difference. 16th St is probably >10' elevated above the MARTA station (red line).

Of course it is basically a "clean sheet" open plan at this point.

Looking over the site more, there is the pedestrian connection to the bus depot just 100' down Arts Center, which will presumably be retained in some capacity with the new development.



On a side note, i really hope they break up the block with two separate structures. It seems like with all these new developments, they build a massive parking deck, plop 2-4 towers on top, and call it a day. It makes everything feel very monolithic.

[Julien]

Originally Posted by Sojourner_Terminus

Looking over the site more, there is the pedestrian connection to the bus depot just 100' down Arts Center, which will presumably be retained in some capacity with the new development.


On a side note, i really hope they break up the block with two separate structures. It seems like with all these new developments, they build a massive parking deck, plop 2-4 towers on top, and call it a day. It makes everything feel very monolithic.

The pedestrian connection does require an elevator ride down or stairs down to the MARTA station. It is actually an almost nice small park with tables, people sitting under trees but often with homeless. Part of the high pedestrian count in the area. I'm running in the morning and will take a pic of it.

If they do extend 16th St I hope they do it similar to the way Midtown Union did Arts Center Way across West Peachtree street. Kinda limited access, tastefully done and discouraging to through traffic.






EDIT: While from 2020 this is a common sight of the way 16th St looks by the High.

[testarossa50]

Originally Posted by Julien

It is actually fairly busy. Also there are a few shuttles that use it too like Atlantic Station shuttle.

If’s got five MARTA bus routes, 4 of which run on a 45 minute headway and one on a 15 minute headway—something like 10 buses per hour.. Then Atlantic Station and Cobb Linc. I believe all the other buses just use the curb on West Peachtree.

It can and should be handled in a much smaller bus terminal—we need to get rid of these suburban layout Marta stations!

[bryantm3]

Originally Posted by testarossa50

If’s got five MARTA bus routes, 4 of which run on a 45 minute headway and one on a 15 minute headway—something like 10 buses per hour.. Then Atlantic Station and Cobb Linc. I believe all the other buses just use the curb on West Peachtree.

It can and should be handled in a much smaller bus terminal—we need to get rid of these suburban layout Marta stations!

They look like regional rail stations. It makes me imagine, if they can get a functional light rail system working intown, it might be a good idea to close a lot of the intown stations and just turn the heavy rail lines into commuter rail lines. They can leave open the subway stations and the ones located at town centers (Avondale Estates, West End, Lindbergh, East Point, etc.) and let the light rail/bus system handle the intown connections.

All the costly rail connections, tunnels, central station, etc., that would make a commuter rail system viable, would already exist. The only costs would be expanding the system.

[Julien]

Here is the Arts Center Way entrance (elevator and stairs) to the MARTA station and the pocket park.


This is Bus terminal back in line to 16th St. As you can see it is quite some elevation up to Arts Center Way.


Looking down from Arts Center Way to back of the Bus terminal with 16th St behind me. Notice how small the dumpster looks.


Standing on West Peachtree & Arts Center Way. Oddly the triangular corner lot has been fenced off. Seems WAY too early but is this related?

[joecool]

I noticed the fence today. What's going on? Are they just sprucing up the pocket park or are they about to start the redevelopment that was planned a few years ago?

[gt7348b]

All of the buses bays are in use. There are 5 MARTA Routes (27, 37, 40, 94 and 110), three Cobblinc (10 local, 10 Rapid, and 102), one GCT Route (103A), and the Atlanta Station Shuttle. Routes 27 and 40 share a bus bay and Route 110 has two since it is a frequent and popular service that often gets off schedule due to traffic on Peachtree St, so the second bay is used to make sure the bus leaves on time. There are 10 bays - five for MARTA, three for CobbLinc, one each for GCT and Atlanta Station and one for both Cobb and MARTA paratransit. This bus bay is fully utilized. Additionally, while some routes aren't as frequent, this is a turnaround point for the routes and is where the drivers have breaks between runs to use the restroom, etc. Furthermore, the 110 - Peachtree and the 10/Rapid 10 are some of the busiest bus routes in the Atlanta region (I believe well north of 5000+ daily boardings prior to March 2020).

So, no, this bus bay can not be made smaller. That's why the RFP specifically references "Air Rights" allowing a platform to be built above the bus loop and development on top.

[smArTaLlone]

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dezhu...member_desktop

[Sojourner_Terminus]

Originally Posted by gt7348b

That's why the RFP specifically references "Air Rights" allowing a platform to be built above the bus loop and development on top.

Interesting. Should we expect the development to be stilted over the current station and bus depot, and only meet the ground in the parking lot and grassy/wooded areas?

I was imagining something more similar to the Portman North Avenue Station proposal.

[RocketSurgeon]

I can't get behind taking land away from transit (talking about the bus depot specifically, not developing other parts of the station). We'll need bigger hubs like that someday. It's not a suburban thing, it's what's needed in dense cities with many lines running at once. Granted, decent bus service is a long way off (practically nonexistent since COVID), but this city has centuries of growth ahead of it, and once land is taken and developed, it's gone forever.

[Sojourner_Terminus]

Just to be clear, I'm not advocating for Marta to reduce capacity or anything like that for the sake of the development. I was just thinking they might redesign the surface level stuff with such a massive development like this one. I'm not a civil engineer, urban planner or architect.

Commuted via Marta from Avondale Estates to Buckhead for 3 years before the pandemic.

[Libertarian]

Once 15th St. is extended I believe the benefits of building a BRT flyover viaduct to the connector becomes obvious, and heavy BRT to Cobb, 575, 400 etc. will develop. Arts Center is a natural terminus. Bus passenger exits to MARTA will continue on W. Peachtree and pickups from the rail and bus/bus transfers use the existing bay loop. This necessitates at least one additional bay. Most of the existing north green park will need be a bus holding pen. Put me on MARTA's board and it happens. Progress.

[smArTaLlone]

Midtown Exchange filed a land development permit this past week.