Which Beltline / East-West Transit segment should be built first?

[smArTaLlone]

Considering that the city would likely only get one project on the Transportation Act project list, which of these routes should get top priority?


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[AtlantaMustang]

This is really a tough one. I really like how some of them make connections to the streetcar, but I voted for the Bankhead route, due to the fact that it goes through Atlantic Station and I feel like Atlantic station really needs some kind of transit option other than the shuttle from Marta. It also goes near Midtown West which is going to need transit in the future, if not now.

[BlindFatSnake]

Originally Posted by AtlantaMustang

This is really a tough one. I really like how some of them make connections to the streetcar, but I voted for the Bankhead route, due to the fact that it goes through Atlantic Station and I feel like Atlantic station really needs some kind of transit option other than the shuttle from Marta. It also goes near Midtown West which is going to need transit in the future, if not now.

Ditto.. However, I'd perfer the region invest in a REGIONAL transit system, instead of piecemealing a transit system that only shuttle people in the core of downtown/midtown/buckhead.

[ATLaffinity]

Gotta go with connecting West Midtown.

[smArTaLlone]

ABI has added a fifth possibility

[Newnan_Eric]

This is an intriguing idea, but I don't think it should be the first out of the gate. Without a tie-in to MARTA at the Armor or Lindbergh Station or a tie-in to a North Ave. streetcar line the service area is very limited. Headways from downtown to Ansley Mall would be horrendous.

Originally Posted by smArTaLlone

ABI has added a fifth possibility

[testarossa50]

Are we just supposed to ignore physical constraints and feasibility with all of these proposals?

The Downtown - Ansley Mall option seems much, much more feasible than the other options. For starters much of the ROW is already owned, and the connection between the Beltline and downtown is planned and funded.

I have no idea how LRT would transfer from Ponce to the Beltline, which is grade-separated and very space-constrained. The Glenwood Park option pretends CSX's Hulsey Yard magically disappears, which requires establishing a new landing spot for 200,000 containers per year--a difficult task to say the least. People say the Krog Tunnel is a potential alternate, but I'm pretty sure that would require ripping the entire thing out and starting over (the clearance at 12'2" is quite low as it is). Would be a shame to lose that. The Bankhead option crosses so many train lines I don't even see where it could go.

The West End option looks far more feasible. Armour Yard looks okay, too, although I'd be curious as to how they will plan out the northern bit. It would be a shame not to connect whatever they build with the downtown segment.

[AtlantaMustang]

Originally Posted by testarossa50

Are we just supposed to ignore physical constraints and feasibility with all of these proposals?

The Downtown - Ansley Mall option seems much, much more feasible than the other options. For starters much of the ROW is already owned, and the connection between the Beltline and downtown is planned and funded.

I have no idea how LRT would transfer from Ponce to the Beltline, which is grade-separated and very space-constrained. The Glenwood Park option pretends CSX's Hulsey Yard magically disappears, which requires establishing a new landing spot for 200,000 containers per year--a difficult task to say the least. People say the Krog Tunnel is a potential alternate, but I'm pretty sure that would require ripping the entire thing out and starting over (the clearance at 12'2" is quite low as it is). Would be a shame to lose that. The Bankhead option crosses so many train lines I don't even see where it could go.

The West End option looks far more feasible. Armour Yard looks okay, too, although I'd be curious as to how they will plan out the northern bit. It would be a shame not to connect whatever they build with the downtown segment.

I would definitely have to agree with this, the Ansley Mall option is probably the most feasible, and it connects to the downtown section, and it would probably be one of the sections with the most ridership, giving an example of how it can succeed. This would further momentum and give people evidence of benefits of the Beltline.

[BlindFatSnake]

If the Beltline is not completed as originally designed, and is heavily fragmented, can it still be called The Beltline? Or would it be more aptly renamed "The Scrap Line", since it would dead-end in more places than it connects?

I've never seen a broken belt serve a useful purpose other than to keep a broken fence post/gate from falling into further dispare.

The Scrap Line would be a huge disappointment.

[smArTaLlone]

It looks like the city submitted three of these routes to the transportation "round table". The Bankhead to Midtown section was discarded for two reasons - the Howell Junction problem and the city will support a Cobb light rail line proposal that connects with the Arts Center Station and also travels through Atlantic Station.

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[electricron]

It'll have to be one of the lines that connects with the funded streetcar line because that's where the first streetcar barn will be built. You can't run any train for long without a maintenance barn. And it's much too soon to build a second barn. So, expect to see an extension of the funded streetcar llne first.

I'm inclined to believe it will extend eastwards, then north through the soon to be completed Historic Fourth Ward Park.

[K-SawDude]

Anyone know which proposal they ultimately went with? I'm guessing it's one of the east side lines connecting to the streetcar.

I just really wish we could get a real effort going to connect the Westside (esp. West Midtown) to Atlantic Station to Marta/Midtown. We have more than enough density on this side of town with almost zero realistic transit options at present.

[netdragon]

None of these routes. West End to Inman Park via University Ave should because it is the most in need of urban renewal. The beltline would spawn urban renewal in that area, such as Metropolitan Parkway, McDaniel Rd and Pryor Rd intersections.