Kimley-Horn is providing design and construction administration services for the METRO B Line Arterial Bus Rapid Transit...
Final Design
Crafted a comprehensive design plan for MARTA’s first Bus Rapid Transit corridor and the first BRT system in the City of Atlanta and the State of Georgia
Interagency Coordination
Facilitated collaboration between MARTA, the City of Atlanta, the Georgia Department of Transportation, and other project stakeholders to successfully develop and implement the BRT
Multimodal Urban Design
Navigated complex design and construction challenges to build a BRT in a constrained urban environment
Each day, more than 300,000 people commute into the City of Atlanta, Georgia’s capital and most populous city. Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), the primary public transit agency in the Atlanta metropolitan area, offers transportation options for residents and visitors. Kimley-Horn was selected to complete final design and design services during construction for MARTA’s first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor in Atlanta—and the State of Georgia.
Summerhill BRT, also known as “MARTA Rapid Summerhill,” is funded by a USDOT Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant and from More MARTA capital funding via the MARTA 2040 Program, a transit partnership between MARTA and the City of Atlanta to design and build community projects that will increase accessibility, mobility, and connectivity. Over a five-mile roundtrip corridor, MARTA Rapid Summerhill will feature majority dedicated bus lanes, operate on 10-to-15-minute headways, upgrade traffic signals and add transit signal priority, and create better customer experiences with level boarding stations.
With Kimley-Horn’s expertise for final design and design services during construction MARTA Rapid Summerhill will connect the Atlanta Beltline (ABI) in the Peoplestown neighborhood at the south end of the corridor to Downtown Atlanta at the north end of the corridor, improving access to jobs and amenities for the Peoplestown, Summerhill, Capitol Gateway, and South Downtown neighborhoods. It will facilitate access to major institutions; federal, state, and local government facilities; employment centers; higher education and medical centers; redeveloping and affordable housing, and more. MARTA Rapid Summerhill will also expand transit access for neighborhoods previously cut off by major highway construction by connecting to three MARTA Rail stations in Downtown Atlanta.
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Providing Strategic Services for MARTA
Rapid Summerhill
As the prime consultant on the project, Kimley-Horn worked with MARTA to encompass final design and design services during construction. Final Design was completed in fall 2022, and contracts for Design Services During Construction (DSDC), Public Engagement and Construction Communications, and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Safety and Security Documentation are in progress. Construction began in summer 2023.
Final Design Services
Kimley-Horn led the way from preliminary to final design for MARTA Rapid Summerhill. With a team of 11 subconsultants, we provided:
- Preliminary design validation
- Public outreach
- Extensive stakeholder and agency coordination
- Engineering studies
- Design plans
- Technical specifications
- Opinions of probable construction cost
- Permitting support
- Electric vehicle route modeling
- On-route electric vehicle charging design
- Real estate acquisition support
- Bid phase support
Our design team worked closely with our architectural partner Wendel to design 14 BRT stations with level boarding, putting accessibility for people of all ages and abilities at the forefront. The stations will feature state-of-the-art technology with real-time passenger information displays, CCTV security cameras, emergency phones, and community art. In addition to station technology, Kimley-Horn designed red bus only lanes, full depth pavement rehabilitation, and upgrades to 28 traffic signals along the BRT corridor to accommodate Transit Signal Priority and designed queue jumps at select intersections. This technology will allow buses to receive priority along the route, supporting 10-15-minute headways.
Design Services During Construction
In partnership with the construction team at Archer Western, Kimley-Horn is providing design services during construction to MARTA for project implementation, including ongoing agency and stakeholder coordination, utility coordination, right of way acquisition support, submittal and shop drawing reviews, requests for information response to the contractor and subcontractors, and ongoing minor design modifications.
Public Engagement and Construction Communications
Kimley-Horn is engaging in public outreach, community meetings, Neighborhood Planning Units meetings, and council member briefings. We are also working with Contente Consulting to provide stakeholder and public communication support throughout the construction phase of the project.
FTA Safety and Security Documentation
Kimley-Horn is preparing documentation required by the FTA for MARTA detailing the safety and security management plan and certification plan, design criteria, potential risks and hazards, possible mitigation solutions and decisions, and design and construction conformance checklists.
Leveraging Local Experience and Connections
Kimley-Horn’s involvement with other ongoing projects in the City of Atlanta, such as our GDOT SigOps program, bike and pedestrian infrastructure design for the Atlanta BeltLine Inc., and countless mixed-use developments gave us a comprehensive understanding of the city and familiarity with its staff—this allowed us to better coordinate and communicate.
Additionally, Kimley-Horn supported MARTA with public engagement meetings in 2021 and 2022 and helped gather valuable data on multimodal transportation elements that were most important to the community. For example, bike connectivity was identified as a top priority for stakeholders, and our team was able to leverage our local multimodal expertise and coordinate with the City of Atlanta, GDOT, ABI, and private developers to massively expand connectivity for cyclists. In fact, we planned for nearly every street in the BRT corridor to have cyclist infrastructure, which is projected to transform an area with limited multimodal transportation options.
Navigating Urban Constraints for Accessibility
To integrate the MARTA Rapid Summerhill BRT system into a complex urban area, our team had to navigate multiple geographic and spatial challenges. For instance, on streets with 6-8% running slopes, we created plans for ADA-compliant station ramps to ensure level boarding platforms which help streamline embarking and disembarking for customers.
We also helped ensure that MARTA’s 60-foot articulated buses could navigate the terminus station—an area with significant spatial constraints due to the railroad and adjacent properties. The terminus station needed to accommodate a bus turnaround with a double length station platform for two 60-foot articulated electric buses, EV charging equipment, and an operator relief facility, while still providing space for delivery vehicles to access adjacent developments. Kimley-Horn worked through multiple iterations of a conceptual layout for the terminus station—including performing a bus towing simulation in 2021 to measure the precise turning radius and pull-away maneuverability of a tow truck towing away a 60-foot articulated bus—before moving forward with a final design.
The Launch and Impact of MARTA Rapid
Summerhill BRT
Between final design and construction, over 120 Kimley-Horn staff in 17 offices have supported MARTA Rapid Summerhill. We completed final design in fall 2022, construction began on the BRT corridor in summer 2023, and is projected to be operational in 2025. When completed, the five-mile roundtrip BRT service is projected to enhance customer experiences and decrease travel time for bus riders. With Kimley-Horn’s design services, MARTA Rapid Summerhill will facilitate greater access to opportunities, increasing connectivity within the Atlanta metro area.
Quick Facts
Client
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA)
Location
Atlanta, GA
