Cobb County officials are looking to bring a new transit center to an area of the county where more people depend on public transportation.
Officials are aiming to place a south Cobb transit center near the Wellstar Hospital at Austell Road and the East-West Connector in the new city of Mableton. That location will help the county’s bus system CobbLinc “provide efficient, dependable routes between South Cobb and this hub of activity,” and better connect Mableton, Austell, and Power Springs with Marietta and the Cumberland area, said Drew Raessler, the county’s transportation director.
The county currently has two transfer centers: one in Cumberland, and one in Marietta. Two of the county’s longest bus routes travel from Marietta to Mableton, and ridership levels in the southern part of the county indicate the greatest need for increased access to public transportation, Raessler said.
Route 30 travels from Marietta down to the Six Flags area and is the second-most utilized route in the county, according to data from the Transit Advisory Board provided by CobbLinc. Over 134,000 rides were recorded on that route in the last year, ridership data shows.
Credit: Cobb County
Credit: Cobb County
“Being able to have the shorter routes allows us to increase our frequency of our routes,” he said. “That way, the community in this area has efficient access to transit.”
Community leaders have long been pushing for more bus routes in south Cobb. Mableton Councilman Ron Davis said expanding transit access in the area will help spur redevelopment.
“I think it’s overdue actually,” Davis said. “If we’re talking about developing the south Cobb area even more, I think something like this is going to be essential.”
The transportation strategic plan the county developed in recent years includes more bus routes into the south Cobb area, and having a new transfer station there will help make those routes possible in the future, said Matt Stigall, who is on the Transit Advisory Board.
“Before we expand any of our services, we have to expand our transfer centers,” Stigall said. “We have foundational improvements we have to make before we draw the lines on the map.”
The transportation department is also considering moving and expanding the existing transfer centers in Cumberland and Marietta, although the Cumberland location is currently more likely to see those changes, Raessler said. The Cumberland station does not have a parking lot and is too small for the number of buses that come through each day.
“It’s an inefficient transit facility, even though it’s in a major hub of business activity,” Raessler said.
Cobb County commissioners may ask voters to approve a ballot referendum during the 2024 November election that would create a special purpose local option sales tax geared specifically toward transit, transportation and mobility in the county. While Raessler has not yet presented to the board potential projects that would utilize the funding, he said it could be a source of funding for expanding the county’s transportation facilities.
“There are funds set aside for transit facilities, as well as federal matching funds, in our existing SPLOST,” Raessler said. “The referendum would just provide an additional funding source to help expedite.”
Also, the south Cobb transfer center could move forward whether the referendum is approved or not, he said.
The total estimated cost for the south Cobb location is around $20 million, and they are still in the planning stages. Officials estimate that it could be built and opened by 2030.
The county is seeking public input on the project now that will help guide decisions on the design and the location for the transit center. For more information about the county’s transportation planning and to provide input, go to www.cobbcounty.org/transportation/planning/transit-service
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