Dec 18, 2024 - Transit

MARTA's Summerhill bus project uncovers Atlanta history and mystery

Thomas Wheatley

A photo of a historic streetcar track and zoomed out photo of a transit work project next to an image of a hole in a sidewalk revealing rebar and an underground parking garage — Photos: Courtesy of MARTA

Crews building MARTA's bus rapid transit line in Summerhill have uncovered forgotten trolley tracks and discovered an underground parking garage.

Catch up quick: Scheduled to open in summer 2025, the roughly $86 million premium bus line will run from Downtown to the Beltline's Southside Trail.

For most of the route, passengers would enjoy an exclusive lane of traffic.

Zoom in: On Dec. 12, MARTA officials told the General Assembly's oversight committee that crews had dug up tracks used for Atlanta's long-gone trolley system on Hank Aaron Drive near Center Parc Stadium.

In Downtown, workers poking for utilities in the sidewalk uncovered what appeared to be an abandoned underground garage possibly associated with a nearby deck.

Crews opted to leave the tracks in place, a MARTA spokesperson told Axios.

As for the parking garage: "We have since put a steel plate over the pothole section, while the City is making contact with the property owner to resolve the issue," the transit agency said.

The big picture: Atlanta's underground is a spaghetti plate of ancient sewer lines, fiber optic cables and paved-over objects to meet deadlines.

Every time you crack open concrete you run the risk of opening a Pandora's Box.

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MARTA's Summerhill bus project uncovers Atlanta history and mystery

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