A Look at the MARTA Map Showing I-20 Transit Route Through Oakhurst
Decatur Metro | October 4, 2011 | 11:26 am
The city commissioners (via Deputy City Manager Hugh Saxon) forwarded us MARTA’s presentation, which shows the heavy rail option that drops south of East Lake Station through the western edge of Oakhurst.
I’ve upload the entire deck for you to view for yourself HERE.
The initiative also has a Facebook page and a survey you can take to weigh in on the project.
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A tunnel under our neighborhood in Oakhurst sounds like a REALLY BAD idea!
I can see how this route could find inspiration in the branch provision already in place (originally intended to veer north), but I would expect a new branch provision and shorter tunnel would be much less expensive (or have additional benefits).
A tunnel under our neighborhood in Kirkwood sounds like a REALLY BAD idea!
If you don’t want a tunnel under Oakhurst or Kirkwood, please tell MARTA that you want it to go straight downtown past East Atlanta and Grant Park instead. (These are named “HRT1″ and “LRT1″ in the linked document.) We in East Atlanta *want* rail in our neighborhood!
Please don’t support HRT3, which would leave us stuck with buses forever.
Kirkwood has overwhelmingly backed LRT2. I think if we took a consensus vote, LRT1 would not be far behind. We overwhelmingly stand against HRT2.
We contacted the 4 board members of the Oakhurst neighborhood association to see about forming a coalition. Unfortunately, all we heard back was crickets.
If they are interested in meeting with the Kirkwood Neighbors’ Organization board, please have them contact us through http://www.historic-kirkwood.com. I’m the VP of the organization.
Thanks.
I should also extend the invite for a coalition to Grant Park and Ormewood Park.
If your neighborhood boards want to meet with the us (the KNO board members) about forming a coalition or at least a uniform stance, please contact us – http://www.historic-kirkwood.com
We are definitely interested in discussing MARTA’s I-20 plans with other neighborhood boards.
United we stand, right?
I can’t figure out how to contact you via the website without being a registered member. I suggest you post a specific email address here, or reach out via the Oakhurst Neighborhood yahoo group (which would reach even more Oakhurst residents).
An email to [email protected] will find me and (if you’re trying to reach Kirkwood instead of East Atlanta) I can put you in touch with Jim.
thx
smalltowngal, you don’t need to register. Our board contact info is listed under “directories”.
Seems like LRI would be the best choice, since it originates at 5 points.
Sorry, East Atlanta too 😉
Dang…. looks like it would pretty much go down Eastlake and then jut a little to follow Second Avenue… then jut again to basically follow Oakview to Memorial.
Lots of homes and Oakhurst Presbyterian as well as Oakhurst Baptist on that route.
Really????? I mean… Really???
I saw a presentation on their website where some sort of collection of community groups voted and Option 2 (the one through Oakhurst and Kirkwood) had by far the most votes. Not sure what that means.
The “vote” is about half way through this presentation… Again… not sure what it means or how important it is….
http://www.itsmarta.com/uploadedFiles/About_MARTA/Planning/I20_East_Corr/I-20%20East%20Corridor%20DCA%20TAC3%20Presentation_5-11-2011.pdf
The presence of the two historic churches may be an argument against any option involving construction that might harm them. Oakhurst Pres was, I believe, the first integrated church in Decatur.
This is for a tunnel, right? Why are people opposed to it? Because of the construction?
My sense–and that sense is only from posts around this blog–is that the current tunnel underneath parts of downtown Decatur and Sycamore Street is shallow enough and the trains are noisy enough that living above the tunnel is inconvenient or maybe worse. So folks are wary of another tunnel. True, those who know the story?
A “tunnel” would probably have to be a “cut and cover” job, not a true tunnelling which I imagine would involve tearing up East Lake/Second Ave for a decade or so.
In addition, I would imagine that tunnels must have areas for exhaust to be released. There would have to be property taken for this function along the line.
Anybody who has ever lived around tunnel construction and/or lived above a shallow rail tunnel will likely have a visceral response against the idea of a rail tunnel coming through their neighborhood. Whether it’s cut-and-cover or a true tunneling project, it will be disruptive, misery-making in a number of ways, and almost surely displace some properties.
That being said, I am trying to overcome my NIMBY reflex and look at it all objectively. I’m not categorically opposed to it yet, although it sure doesn’t seem to offer enough benefits to outweigh the disadvantages, compared to some of the other option. I will say that as an Oakhurst resident, I feel a bit blindsided by this and am wondering why we haven’t heard about it until now, since it seems our neighbors in Kirkwood have been all over it. But the main thing is to pay attention now and learn as much as we can, and try to be sure we get heard.
+1
A decade? Sounds like a long time. Is that true? I would imagine a couple years would be reasonable. Is it true that property would have to be taken too, or is that conjecture?
“Is it true that property would have to be taken too, or is that conjecture?”
Projected Commercial or Residential Displacements:
HRT1 = 40
LRT1 = 40
BRT1 = 40
HRT2 = 28
LRT2 = 34
HRT3 = 10
Those numbers are probably not cast in stone, but it’s hard to imagine how they could build or expand any rapid transit facilities in an urban setting without some property displacement.
Those displacement numbers only include the outright tear-down and demolition of residents and business; they do not include degraded quality of life, vibration, tunnel shaft noise, vibration, degraded property values, etc.
The exhaust vents are large steel and concrete tunnel shaft columns that are bored down to the train tunnel. These are constructed every 1/4 mile to expel high pressure air trapped inside the tunnel. They will be located along the tunnel way next door to dozens of residential homes. Any home located near one will be heavily impacted by noise and vibration.
Those factors are not accounted for at all in their displacement figures. HRT2 will heavily impact residences and business well beyond simple displacement.
wow. had no idea. at least HRT2 is one of the plans with fewest displacements.
Unless you happen to be one of them or, probably even worse, next door to one of them.
“I would imagine a couple years would be reasonable.”
Did you by any chance live in Atlanta when they were building 400? The Presidential Parkway? The first phase of MARTA rail or any of the extensions? Believe me, it would take more than a couple of years to lay heavy rail from the East Lake station vicinity to I-20. The agony of construction goes with the territory if our city and region are going to stay alive, much less thrive, and it is always going to be more painful for some than for others. But please don’t think it’s not going to be that big of a deal.
It’s going to take more than just a couple of years for the above ground trolley line from downtown to the King Center to be built.