WHY AREA NEAR AIRPORT CAN BE HARD TO TRAVEL

Improving get-around options seen as crucial for southside progress.

Mobility in the area around Hartsfield-Jackson International must be improved before the south side of Atlanta can live up to its potential, leaders hoping to boost economic development say.

While MARTA makes it easy to get to Hartsfield-Jackson International, getting around the surrounding areas can be a challenge, said Grady Smith, a project manager for planning and engineering firm VHB, which has been studying south metro Atlanta mobility options.

“Unlike a lot of cities in the country, Hartsfield has great transit access because of MARTA,” said Smith. “But if you want to get to a nearby hotel, or if you’re a Porsche executive going to the Porsche North American headquarters, the options are limited. You have a long walk to get a taxi, Uber or Lyft.”

Improving Hartsfield area mobility is important to south metro. It hasn’t seen the same residential, retail and job boom as Atlanta’s north side because of a lack of transit, biking or other options to make the area an attractive destination, some southside leaders say.

“One of the critical components of us being competitive is accessibility,” said Shannon James, executive director of Aerotropolis Atlanta, the business group leading the airport economic development charge. “If we are going to create this ecosystem, transportation is at the front of it.”

VHB’s study will look at options such as extending MARTA’s heavy rail at the airport, reconfiguring roads for autonomous vehicles, installing more bike paths and making streets more pedestrian-friendly. The study will be finished by year’s end.

The effort also will include an “Innovation Summit” this fall that VHB will host with the Aerotropolis Community Improvement District, Smith said. The symposium will bring together transit planners from all over the world to talk about mobility and best transit practices around airports.