Cobb County Department of Transportation and CobbLinc are planning the development of three multimodal transit centers to meet current and future transit ridership and operational demands.  The expansion and relocation of the two existing CobbLinc transfer facilities at Cumberland and Marietta will address capacity and operational issues.  A third facility will be developed to serve operations in the South Cobb area.  All three facilities were identified in Cobb County’s recently adopted Cobb Forward Comprehensive Transportation Plan 2050 (CTP).

Cobb County is completing background planning studies, including system analysis, site evaluation, public and stakeholder outreach, and environmental documentation in two study phases:

Phase 1 Transit Centers Study (Completed, Spring 2023)

The Phase 1 Study will provide a systemwide analysis and needs assessment of CobbLinc’s transit system, existing conditions, and future service expansion of the system as it relates to determining locational needs, size, and amenities for the future facilities in order to meet the demands of a growing population, expanded services and useful life of the facilities. This includes determining general locations for each of the three facilities that best meet current and future rider demand and provide efficiency of CobbLinc operations. This will also include a needs assessment to determine the types of facilities needed for each location, what rider amenities should be included, and what facilities should be included for CobbLinc drivers, dispatchers, and other employees. 

Phase 2 Site Selection Study (In Progress)

Cumberland Transit Center Site Selection Study

The Cumberland Transit Center Site Selection Study is in progress.  This study will evaluate potential sites and select a preferred site for the relocation and improvement of the existing Cumberland Transfer Center.

The relocation of the existing Cumberland Transfer Center is identified in several regional and local plans dating back to the 2015 Cobb County Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) update.  The facility is programmed in the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP); included in The Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority (The ATL) Regional Transit Plan (ARTP); the Connect Cobb Environmental Assessment; and in the 2017 Cumberland CID’s Blueprint 3.0.  The recently adopted update to Cobb County’s CTP identifies the Cumberland Transit Center as a short-term project, and it is also included as a project in The ATL’s draft Priority Investment List. 

Previously identified issues and needs driving the expansion and relocation of Cumberland Transfer Center include:

• Bus bays are at capacity
• Bus bays are only located on the eastbound side of Cumberland Boulevard, requiring westbound buses to make several turning movements and circulate through the Cumberland Mall parking lot after departing and prior to accessing the transfer center.
• No parking is provided
• No kiss and ride or transit network company (TNC)/taxi/rideshare drop-off zones.  Drop-offs are done ad-hoc within bus bays, sometimes impacting operations.
• Although located in a CID, it is not close or convenient to core office, commercial, or residential areas

Marietta Transit Center Site Selection Study

The Marietta Transit Center Site Selection is in progress.  This study will evaluate potential sites and select a preferred site for the relocation and improvement of the existing Marietta Transfer Center.

The relocation of the existing Marietta Transfer Center is identified in several regional and local plans dating back to the 2015 Cobb County Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) update.  The facility is programmed in the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and included in The Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority (ATL) Regional Transit Plan (ARTP). The 2022 adopted update to Cobb County’s CobbForward CTP 2050 identifies the Marietta transit center as a short-term project, and it is also included as a project in the ATL’s FY 2024 Priority Investment List. 

Previously identified issues and needs driving the expansion and relocation of the Marietta Transfer Center include:

• Both the transit center and the adjacent CobbLinc maintenance facility are at capacity
• Additional bus bays and staging/layover are needed for the transit facility
• Expansion of the maintenance center is needed and planned to expand into the area currently occupied by the adjacent park and ride and transit center
• Better access and proximity to Cobb Parkway and I-75 managed lanes are desired for maximizing regional transit connectivity and improving CobbLinc bus travel times.
• Cobb Parkway is identified as a priority corridor in the Cobb Forward comprehensive transportation plan, and transit element.  This corridor is proposed for future high-capacity services, including BRT and arterial rapid transit between Marietta and Cumberland transit centers.

South Cobb Transit Center Site Selection Study

The South Cobb Transit Center Site Selection is in progress.  This study will evaluate potential sites and select a preferred site for a new multimodal transit facility serving the South Cobb area.

The development of a new Transfer Center serving South Cobb is identified in several regional and local plans dating back to the 2015 Cobb County Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) update.  The facility (also referred to as the “Austell Transfer Center” in some documents) is programmed in the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and included in The Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority (The ATL) Regional Transit Plan (ARTP). The recently adopted update to Cobb County’s CTP (Cobb Forward) identifies the South Cobb transit center as a short-term project, and it is also included as a project in The ATL’s FY 2024 Priority Investment List. 

Previously identified issues and needs driving the expansion and relocation of the South Cobb Transfer Center include:

• Currently, there is no transfer center serving South Cobb operations and customers.
• There is not a formalized area for vehicles and drivers to layover, for CobbLinc’s Flex Service or paratransit service.
• There is no sheltered area with rider amenities to transfer between CobbLinc Routes 25 and 30.
• CobbLinc is planning to consolidate current Flex zones into a single expanded on-demand micro-transit zone.
• A South Cobb Transit Center would provide a consolidated facility for all the above services and operations, as well as allow for the planned expansion of modes and services identified in the Cobb Forward CTP.
• The South Cobb Transit Center is identified as a hub between bus routes and future high-capacity lines to Marietta Transfer Center, Cumberland Transfer Center, and MARTA rail.

Additionally, a new facility would allow consideration for segmenting Routes 25 and 30, which currently run between Cumberland/Marietta and MARTA H.E. Holmes rail station.

Questions

Please contact the County’s Project Manager at  kelsey.vizzard@cobbcounty.org for any questions or comments you may have regarding the study.

Image

Through the Connect Cobb project, Cobb County is developing a transit solution for the mobility needs in the Northwest Atlanta Corridor, defined as US 41/Cobb Parkway and I-75 between Cobb County and City of Atlanta. The project proposes the addition of Arterial Rapid Transit (ART) along U.S. 41/ Cobb Parkway. The majority of the ART system would operate on dedicated guideway (from the Kennesaw area to Cumberland), with continuing service in the existing High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes on I-75 to the existing Metropolitan Atlanta Regional Transit Authority (MARTA) Arts Center Station. The proposed system would begin at the terminus station at Kennesaw State University (KSU) near the intersection of Chastain Road and Frey Road. Fourteen (14) ART stations are proposed in Cobb County.

An Alternatives Analysis (AA) was completed for the project in December 2012 that identified the locally preferred dual-service alternative. An Environmental Assessment (EA) was initiated in early 2013 to further define the alternative and assess its effects on mobility in the corridor and on the surrounding environment.

Map of the proposed Connect Cobb Project

Cobb County conducted the Connect Cobb/Northwest Transit Corridor study, an Alternatives Analysis to investigate transit options and their impact on mobility, livability and connectivity on Cobb Parkway/U.S. 41 and I-75.

The AA developed a recommended locally preferred alternative (LPA) that identified a high capacity transit system best suited for the corridor. The selection of the LPA involved analyzing several types of fixed guideway transit including light rail, BRT and dedicated busway.

In conjunction with the study, land use, economic development, and redevelopment opportunities were considered with emphasis on transit oriented development and transit station area planning. To complement the technical components of the AA, a robust public involvement program was implemented to ensure community and stakeholder involvement. The study began in August 2011 and was completed December 2012.

Following completion of the AA report, the Connect Cobb project advanced to an Environmental Assessment.

Connect Cobb Northwest Atlanta Corridor Environmental Assessment FTA Issues a Finding of No Significant Impact

On April 1, 2016, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Region IV Administrator issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) on the Connect Cobb environmental Assessment.

Finding of No Significant Impact