Bike, pedestrian trail system in pipeline around MARTA station

Josh Green

Mon, 12/02/2024 – 08:09

Plans are materializing for a new trail loop around an eastside MARTA station designed to keep people on foot and bikes safer where infrastructure is currently lacking in a quickly developing area.

Led by the Georgia Department of Transportation, a state agency not traditionally known for prioritizing non-vehicle infrastructure, the trail project calls for modifying four sections of roadway corridors that border MARTA’s Kensington station in unincorporated DeKalb County.

The public comment period for the 1.4-mile trail project concludes this week.

According to the DeKalb County Public Works Transportation Division, GDOT’s goal for what’s formally called Kensington MARTA Station Trail—Phase I is to beef up pedestrian and bicycle connectivity near a relatively high density of residential, office, and county government facilities.

Project leaders describe sidewalk conditions near the station as “sporadic” today—and bike infrastructure as nonexistent—which encourages uncontrolled pedestrian crossings.

“The sidewalks are intermittent, narrow, and in disrepair,” notes a project description. “Worn paths along the side of the road indicate there is a pedestrian demand for improved facilities.”

The DeKalb County area in question between downtown Avondale Estates and Interstate 285. GDOT/DeKalb County Public Works Transportation Division

Kensington is the second-to-last station on MARTA’s eastbound route before final stop Indian Creek station. It’s located just west of Memorial Drive, inside the Interstate 285 loop, east of Avondale Estates and downtown Decatur.

On Memorial Drive, plans call for building a 10-foot-wide shared pathway that would replace existing sidewalks on the northwest side of the road.

The scope also calls for reducing two other sections of roadways around the station from four to two lanes and implementing shared paths, also 10 feet wide.

How two roadway sections currently with four lanes each would be modified. GDOT/DeKalb County Public Works Transportation Division

The phase-one trail loop could have a built-in user base, as hundreds of new housing options come online in the immediate area.

A year ago, MARTA officially broke ground on transit-oriented development for 35 acres of property around the train station. That’s set to include 100 percent affordable senior and workforce housing, a new Housing Authority of DeKalb County headquarters, and other community amenities.

Elsewhere, the mixed-use Phoenix Station project has taken shape across the street from MARTA’s Kensington hub.

Meanwhile, across Memorial Drive, a five-building residential project by developer Resia has delivered nearly 500 units. That’s now called Resia Willows.

Preliminary overview of the 1.4-mile project. GDOT/DeKalb County Public Works Transportation Division

Plans in coming years call for Kensington to become a regional transportation center and mixed-use neighborhood gathering place that increases ridership and revenue, in the vein of the Edgewood/Candler Park station, according to a Kensington Station Master Plan completed by MARTA and DeKalb County.

The public is encouraged to submit input on the Kensington trail proposal (and any requests for specific features) by filling out this comment card and emailing it to DeKalb County officials here: pgkeeter@dekalbcountyga.gov

The period for accepting public comments ends Thursday.

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