MARTA announced it will provide free shuttles from the King Memorial station for anyone wanting to visit the Carter Presidential Center this weekend as former President Jimmy Carter lies in repose.
Carter died Sunday at 100 years old. He will be buried in Plains next to his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Carter, who died in November 2023.
The shuttle service will be one of the most convenient ways for mourners to get to the center because surrounding roads will be closed until noon Tuesday.
Vehicles are prohibited from the portions of East John Lewis Freedom Parkway and North Highland Avenue that circle the Carter Presidential Center, according to the Atlanta Department of Transportation.
The state funeral procession will begin Saturday morning, when a motorcade with Carter’s remains will set out from Americus in southwest Georgia, according to details released Monday.
The motorcade will stop in Plains before continuing to Atlanta, where it will stop at the state Capitol. The former president’s body will then be transported to the nearby Carter Presidential Center, where he will lie in repose from Saturday night until Tuesday morning.
MARTA said anyone wishing to pay their respects must take a shuttle unless they are walking or biking to the center. Shuttles will depart from the King Memorial station every 3 to 5 minutes starting at 6 p.m. Saturday through 6 a.m. Tuesday.
Rail service to the King station will operate continuously for 60 hours. The shuttles will be free, but the fare to ride to the King station will not be free.
There is no public parking available at the station. Bus routes 816, 9, 809 and 899 will be rerouted starting Saturday afternoon.
No backpacks, bags, purses, clutches or camera bags are allowed on the buses or at the Carter Center, with the exception of diaper bags.
During Carter’s time as governor, voters passed a 1% sales tax to help fund MARTA operations.
“MARTA joins the country in mourning the loss of our longest-living president and Georgia’s native son,” MARTA General Manager and CEO Collie Greenwood said in a statement. “President Carter led a life of service, and his dedication to human and civil rights changed us for the better. MARTA is especially grateful for his leadership in bringing public transportation plans to fruition in metro Atlanta, and we are proud to help pay tribute to him.”
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