Like flowers sprouting after a long winter, we are finally starting to see signs of progress on safe and complete streets across Atlanta, including South Boulevard, Peachtree Street,Cascade Road, DeKalb Avenue, and the roads around City Hall Downtown.
We've got a breakdown of what key projects are getting underway, what you can expect, and next steps for advocacy and more information.
Downtown Bike Lanes
Credit: Propel ATL
The City of Atlanta is getting 2 miles of new bike/LIT lanes Downtown, thanks to advocacy efforts and business and community members. (Read more about the new bike/LIT lanes for Downtown and how Collective Action Created Legislative Change for Downtown Streets.)
For now, the barricades keep getting pushed aside, but ATLDOT has ordered the materials to install the protected bike lane so we’re hopeful this situation will improve soon. The MLK Drive cycletrack being installed by Central Atlanta Progress/Atlanta Downtown Improvement District (CAP/ADID) is making great progress with a beautiful granite curb to protect people on bikes and other small wheels from cars.
Attend the Downtown City Hall Vicinity Street Resurfacing Project Update on Tuesday, June 27 to learn more!
South Boulevard Complete Street
Credit: A Safer Boulevard
Community members living near South Boulevard have waited since 2016 for safety improvements to create a more complete street. Despite their advocacy for changes to a proposed design in 2021, they are still experiencing the risks of high speed traffic on this corridor. (More background on that here: South Boulevard needs safer multi-modal infrastructure and safe speeds).
Now, the organizers of A Safer Boulevard say there’s an opportunity to kickstart this much-needed project. But they need your help.
Let City of Atlanta officials know the time is now for a safer Boulevard! https://p2a.co/ztNDFum
Peachtree Shared Street
Credit Propel ATL. pictured: protesters calling for Peachtree Shared Space
Atlanta City Council approved legislation to preserve the City of Atlanta's match for grant funds for the Peachtree Street Streetscape project. This is the first step towards the bold new vision for Peachtree Street we've seen since the pilot "shared space" project was removed in spring 2022.
For background on this project visit the Peachtree Shared Space website or our blog post, Peachtree Street for people.
Cascade Road
The Atlanta Department of Transportation hosted a public meeting on May 16 to share updates on the Cascade Road complete street project. Construction is scheduled to be complete by April 2025. To help build on this connection, we served on the Cascade Heights Greenway Network Feasibility Study Steering Committee to plan for greenway connectivity in southwest Atlanta.
DeKalb Ave
Credit Propel ATL
And finally, the one everyone’s been talking about, ATLDOT is giving DeKalb Ave a facelift. The safety improvements project underway includes repaving, replacing the dangerous reversible lane with a center turn lane, and adding a few sections of bike lanes. After the repaving is complete, they’ll install the bike lanes.
Protected bike lanes will be installed between Hurt Street and Elmira Place and Rocky Ford Road to the city limits at Ridgecrest Road. Painted bike lanes will help connect bike routes between Clifton Road and Arizona Avenue, and on Whitefoord Avenue from Dekalb Avenue to LaFrance Street.