In the wake of last week’s fire that collapsed part of I-85 in Atlanta, Gwinnett County Transit is offering residents a new commuting option.
Starting Monday, county- and state-run buses will be available to take traffic-wary travelers directly to and from MARTA's Chamblee and Doraville stations. Riders can then take trains further intown.
"MARTA has room for passengers but limited parking," Gwinnett Department of Transportation director Alan Chapman said in a news release. "This allows our residents to take advantage of MARTA's direct route downtown without having to find parking spaces at the stations."
The so-called “feeder” routes will pick up riders every morning from all six park-and-ride lots in Gwinnett: I-95/Ga. 20, I-85/Indian Trail Road, Hamilton Mill, Mall of Georgia and two at Sugarloaf Mills mall.
The buses will pick up riders at scheduled times between 5:30 and 9:15 a.m. and pick them up at the Chamblee and Doraville MARTA stations between 3:35 and 6:05 p.m.
A final “sweeper” route will leave the Chamblee MARTA station at 7 p.m. and take riders to three park and rides.
See the image below for a complete schedule.
Fares for the new buses will vary. Some of the routes are run directly by Gwinnett County Transit and others — called “Xpress” — are under the supervision of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority
According to a statement released by Gwinnett County: "Feeder routes for GCT will cost either $3.75 or $5 for a one-way trip from the Park & Ride lots to the MARTA station. Feeder routes for Xpress will cost either $3 for green zone lots or $4 for blue zone lots."
Riders are urged to load money onto Breeze cards or bring exact cash. Riders who use Breeze cards will not have to pay an additional fee to transfer to a MARTA train.
More information is available here.
The interstate collapse had already forced Gwinnett County Transit to revise the schedules of some of its buses to Atlanta. The collapse also means buses can no longer take I-85 directly into Atlanta but must take I-285 to I-20.
Find full Gwinnett County Transit bus schedules here. Find schedules for Gwinnett-based Xpress routes here.
Gwinnett County spokeswoman Heather Sawyer said the feeder routes and new schedules will be in place “for the foreseeable future,” and that officials will “continue to monitor and make adjustments as needed.”
State officials have said they hope to have I-85 rebuilt and reopened by June 15.
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