MARTA opened a new dedicated bus lane on Cleveland Avenue in East Point on Tuesday, the agency’s first bus-only lane outside of downtown Atlanta.
The two-mile lane runs between Main Street and Stonewall Avenue. During peak hours, MARTA buses will use the lane exclusively, with general traffic prohibited from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays.
The agency says the lane is already cutting bus travel times along the corridor by up to 25 percent, particularly for Routes 78 and 79, which serve the East Point MARTA station and several apartment complexes along Cleveland Avenue.
“This is the kind of small, focused investment that makes a real difference for our riders,” MARTA General Manager and CEO Collie Greenwood said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday morning. “Cleveland Avenue is one of our busiest corridors, and our customers have been asking for faster service for years.”
The project, which cost $4.2 million, was funded through a combination of federal grants and the city’s TSPLOST transportation sales tax. It includes new bus shelters, real-time arrival signs, and pedestrian improvements at four intersections.
MARTA is planning similar bus-only lanes on Peachtree Road in Buckhead and on Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway in northwest Atlanta. Both are expected to open within the next two years.
