Emory University considers kicking in $60 million for Clifton Corridor light rail project

The Clifton Corridor light rail project, which would connect MARTA’s Red/Gold and Blue lines, connecting Lindbergh Station to Avondale Station, will be an expensive undertaking.
Cost estimates put the price tag for the total project at $1.8 billion to $2.1 billion. MARTA’s board approved allocating $350 million to the project as part of the “More MARTA” transit expansion initiative, which will be funded by a half-penny sales tax approved by voters.
According to records provided by MARTA, Emory is considering making a $60 million contribution to the project. That contribution includes providing $25.5 million worth of right of way and $34 million in other improvements, including a shuttle.
Here’s the full memo itemizing Emory’s potential contributions:
If other funding can be secured, the corridor could be operational by 2026.
Emory University President Claire E. Sterk has said that other potential funding sources include federal money.
“Federal matching funds will be critical to the next phase of this effort, and current workforce and population centers are key factors in that evaluation process,” Sterk said in September, prior to the MARTA board’s vote. “We will continue to champion better connections through transit for the 40,000 people who work at Emory University, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other organizations here, our 15,000 students, and the over 2 million patient visits to Emory University Hospital and the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center each year.”