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home > welcome to dekalb > Transportation

Accessible to All Major Markets
An excellent transportation system promotes efficient business practices in DeKalb. Five major road arteries traverse the county: interstates 85,20, 285, 675, and US 78 on the east. Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport, the top airport in the world for passengers and operations, is only six miles from DeKalb's southwestern border. The DeKalb-Peachtree Airport, a general aviation field that attracts corporate operations from around the region, is the second busiest airport in Georgia.

MARTA, Atlanta's largest mass transit system, serves DeKalb with a network of rail and bus connections. Its link to other county systems provide an efficient transportation alternative to more than half the metro area's population. DeKalb also attracts a number of the rail and truck lines serving Atlanta; the majority of these lines operate terminals within the county.

Air Service
Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport
Located only six miles from DeKalb County is the Hartsfield International Airport, which contains one of the largest passenger terminals in the world. In 1998 nearly 74 million passengers traveled through Hartsfield, making it the world's busiest airport for passenger traffic. It has maintained that position since, growing to more 80 million passengers in 2000. It is also the world's busiest airport for total movements, or operations, and ranks among the top 20 for cargo movement.

Passenger & Passenger Freight Airlines Serving DeKalb from Hartsfield
AeroMexico Continental Airlines Northwest Airlines/KLM
Air Canada Corporate Airlines Pro Air
Air France USA/Cargo Delta Airlines Qantas
Air Jamaica Frontier Airline Reno Air
AirALM Japan Airlines South African Airway
AirTran Airways Korean Air Swissair
America West Airlines LAPA TWA
American Airlines Lufthanasa United Airlines
British Airways Metro Jet (US Airways) US Airway
Cayman Airways Midway Airlines Vanguard Airlines
China Airlines Midwest Express VARIG Brazilian

Sources: Department of Aviation, Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport.

DeKalb-Peachtree Airport (PDK)
DeKalb-Peachtree Airport is the second busiest airport in Georgia for operations. It averages 230,000 flights annually, with 239,230 recorded in 1999. Classified as a general aviation relief airport, PDK sits on 765 acres in northeast DeKalb with four runways, 25 large hangars, 90 T-hangars, and a 24-hour security patrol, among other features.

Four fixed wing and two helicopter fixed base operators are on the field, as well as seven flight schools. Nearly 600 aircraft are based at PDK with about 50 corporate jets and another 125 aviation-related tenants. Corporations that operate flight departments on the field include Bank of America, Southern Company, Kimberly Clark, Post Properties, Rollins and Honey-Baked Ham.

The latest economic impact study on PDK shows direct employment of 762 people, $14 million in visitor spending, and $50 million in travel and operating cost savings. Indirect economic impacts grew to 7,300 jobs in DeKalb, $130 million generated in personal income and a gross economic output of $829 million annually, according to the DeKalb County Airport Division. DeKalb-Peachtree Airport plats a significant role in the corporate health of the county.

For more information contact the DeKalb-Peachtree Airport at 770.936.5440 or go online to www.pdkairport.org.


Roads
DeKalb County contains 57 miles of interstate highways and at least 750 miles of U.S. and state highways in addition to local streets and roads. Five major transportation routes cross the county and provide access to interstate highways going in every direction: I-85 on the north, I-20 and US 78 on the east , I-285 that circles Atlanta, and I-675, which leads to I-75 on the south.

DeKalb is one of the region's larger distribution centers, home to a major number of the area's truck terminals. More than 100 freight forwarders or consolidators are also located in or near the county.
For a current list of the almost 200 interstate and intrastate motor carriers serving DeKalb businesses, look under "Trucking - Motor Freight" in BellSouth's Real Yellow Pages or go online to www.yp.bellsouth.com.


Rail Service
DeKalb is served by two of the nation's largest rail systems: CSX and Norfolk-Southern. Each line operates some of their largest intermodal facilities in Atlanta. CSX's Hulsey Yard handles more than 500 trucks and 16 trains per day, while accommodating at least 180 flatcars. Norfolk-Southern's Inman Yard, the company's largest intermodal yard, includes the nation's first intermodal facility. Many other railroads are represented by offline offices in Atlanta.

AMTRAK departs from Atlanta's Brookwood Station to 26 stops along its northern route to Washington, DC and New York City, and south to nine stops from Atlanta to New Orleans and Miami. At least 300 passengers arrive or depart from the Brookwood Station daily.

Marta and Bus Service
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority is a state-of-the-art rapid rail and bus system that serves the metro Atlanta counties of DeKalb and Fulton. It links into other county transit systems including Cobb and will to the planned Clayton system. Since its rail service began running in 1979, MARTA's network of tracks has spread to cover more than 50 miles serving 38 stations. Nine MARTA rail stations and more than 50 bus routes are in DeKalb, connecting county residents to their work, shopping and homes.

MARTA offers DeKalb riders efficient, timely and stress-free transportation into the terminal at Hartsfield Airport. The MARTA partnership provides the following unique transportation benefits to DeKalb employers:

Tax deductions of up to &65 per rider per month
Volume discounts for 50 employees or more
Reliable transportation to and from work

For more information, go to www.itsmarta.com or call:
MARTA Customer (Schedule) Information
404.848.4711
TDD Schedule Information for the hearing impaired
404.848.5665
MARTA General Information
404.848.5200

Greyhound Bus Lines has a terminal in Decatur. For information on Greyhound's locations, routes and fares, call 404.373.3213 or go to www.greyhound.com.

Georgia Ports
DeKalb connections to CSX and Norfolk-Southern, regional and local railways offer shippers an exceptional intermodal transportation system combined with easy, overnight access to 19 deepwater ports in the North Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico.

Georgia's ports - at Savannah and Brunswick - offer several advantages: the largest single-terminal facility on the U.S. East Coast (Port of Savannah), superior intermodal connections, port-owned and operated railroads, two Class 1 rail providers, three miles of on-dock rail and over 25 miles of on-terminal rail. Consequently, shippers benefit from value-added services designed specifically to provide them a competitive edge in the marketplace.

The deepwater ports at Savannah and Brunswick are vital to DeKalb and Georgia's growing international trade. In 2000 the top five exports from the state were industrial machinery, transportation equipment, chemical and allied products, electronics and electrical equipment, and paper and allied products. Nearly 70 percent of Georgia's annual exports are distributed through its seaports, at a value of $4.2 billion in 2000, according to the Wachovia Georgia World Trade Index. These ports and Hartsfield were also Georgia entry points for imports valued at an estimated $23.1 billion in 2000.

Port of Savannah
Located on the Savannah River, the Port of Savannah's Containerport is a single terminal facility with on-dock rail service and immediate access to I-16 and I-95. Forty-three steamship lines provide regularly scheduled service to destinations worldwide. Each consecutive year the port moves a greater volume of containers and breakbulk cargo.

Port of Brunswick
Colonel's Island Terminal in the Port of Brunswick offers shippers the North Atlantic's most modern RO/RO and dry bulk facilities and is expanding its bulk material handling capacity. U.S. Highway 17 bisects the island, putting it within minutes of Interstate 95, the East Coast's major north/south corridor. Forest product resources and movement of heavy machinery and automobiles contributed to this port's impressive growth.

For more information from the Georgia Ports Authority, call 800.342.8012, email this authority at info@gaports.com or go online to its website at www.gaports.com.