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STONECREST, GA –A new MARTA transit hub soon will be built in the city of Stonecrest, providing riders with covered waiting areas, restrooms, bike racks, and fare vending machines, among other amenities.
Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) and Sen. Jon Ossoff (GA) announced the $1 million they secured for the project during a press conference that was held on Friday (Feb. 17) at City Hall.
MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood unveiled plans for the project, saying that officials still are trying to determine the exact location where the hub will be built. Officials are considering a site either north or west of the Mall at Stonecrest, Greenwood said. Once the land acquisition is completed, the timeline for construction would be laid out hopefully within the next 12 months, he said.
“This is going to be everything we need—a roof over our heads, protection from the sun, protection from the rain, automatic fare vending machines, all kinds of restrooms, bike racks, real-time bus arrival information, ride sharing and bike sharing opportunities…,” said Greenwood.
Congressman Johnson said the hub signifies the vision of expanded transit opportunities for the entire east metro area including not only DeKalb County but Rockdale County an beyond.
“Transit is our future. Transit is going to make life so much easier for those who cannot afford to purchase a car—it’s very expensive to purchase an operate an automobile,” said Johnson.
Ossoff said funding for the project was secured with bi-partisan support and the announcement marked a historic day.
“It is a historic day for the city of Stonecrest. It is a historic day for DeKalb County and the state of Georgia… We passed this through the House and the Senate with both Republican and Democratic support, bringing folks from both parties together to deliver for the state of Georgia,” Ossoff said.
The transit hub is among 15 community projects Johnson is funding with $15 million allocated in Georgia’s Fourth Congressional District in the FY23 Appropriations.
Stonecrest Mayor Jazzmin Cobble said the transit project will greatly enhance the city and improve the quality of life for not only Stonecrest residents but South DeKalb at large.
It’s a connected community that makes it so that we thrive, that we prosper, and that we achieve everything that we think we deserve in our communities,” Cobble said. “It’s when our connected communities, our residents, our business owners, our government partners, our community partners are all working together to improve the quality of life for everyone.”
DeKalb County District 5 Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson, Stonecrest City Council members George Turner, Rob Turner, Tammy Grimes and Alecia Washington, and NAACP DeKalb President Lance Hammonds were among the officials who attended the press conference.