The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) is advancing the Clayton County Operations & Maintenance (O&M) Facility project, recently selecting a design firm, as the authority continues to honor its commitment to expand transit service and amenities in Clayton County.

The MARTA Board of Directors Planning & Capital Programs Committee recently approved engineering and design firm STV Incorporated to build on the work done in-house and complete the design of the Clayton O&M Facility. The facility will support 31 regional bus routes, while increasing efficiency and reducing operational costs. The final building design will include parking for 250 buses, infrastructure to support bus service such as a fare retrieval system, fueling area, and bus wash, along with a wellness center, MARTA police precinct and firing range. The project is estimated to support over 350 construction jobs, as well as more than 700 new permanent jobs.

The Clayton County Operations & Maintenance Facility project has received $33 million in federal support; two Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Buses and Bus Facilities grants, $13 million in 2019 and $15 million in 2022, and a $5 million earmark secured by Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock.

“The strong federal support for this project underscores its importance and value to Clayton County and the entire south metro Atlanta area,” said Collie Greenwood, MARTA interim GM/CEO. “For MARTA, it means not only will we provide transit service in Clayton, we will live there, too.”

Federal support will be instrumental as MARTA continues to enhance and expand transit service in Clayton. Clayton Southlake bus rapid transit (BRT) is currently in the Project Development phase of the FTA’s Capital Investment Grant (CIG) Program as a Small Starts Project. This is MARTA’s first application to the federal CIG Program since the Red Line was extended to North Springs.

The estimated $338 million project will provide high-capacity transit connecting the College Park Station to several key destinations and spur transit-oriented development (TOD) along the BRT corridor, an effort that received a $1 million boost this year with an FTA TOD planning grant.

“We are excited to partner with MARTA to provide the citizens of Clayton County improvements like the O&M Facility as well as access to bus stop shelters to offer a better experience for riders,” said Jeffrey E. Turner, Clayton County Board of Commissioners chairman. “Projects like these are another testament to the commitment to improve transit service for our residents. We look forward to breaking ground on these major projects and exploring other ways to enhance our transit system.”