We have some fantastic infrastructure developments happening in Atlanta!
Photo credit: Propel ATL
Memorial Drive is slated for an extension of the 3-lane safety configuration, a bike lane (!!), safer crossings for people walking and other safety improvements. We’re collecting letters in support from adjacent neighborhoods and advocating for the bike lanes to be protected.
By now the whole world knows – DeKalb Ave has finally been repaved, and bike lanes, some protected, are coming soon. We’re asking for some design tweaks and keeping our eye on the long-term vision for a “complete” DeKalb Ave.
Several miles of D.L. Hollowell Parkway will get a 3-lane safety reconfiguration this fall. We’re pushing for the project to be extended to connect with Northside Drive.
Plus, thank you for taking action on South Boulevard!
Memorial Drive
In 2019, the Georgia Department of Transportation gave Memorial Drive a safety facelift by replacing the dangerous reversible lane with a center turn lane and adding two pedestrian crossings and striped medians. The project immediately made this road safer, reducing crashes significantly.
However, the 2019 project terminated at Pearl Street in Cabbagetown, where Memorial Drive widened dramatically to five lanes of fast traffic, featuring missing sidewalks and no bike lanes.
Each month we meet with GDOT engineers to discuss safety projects, and Memorial Drive has stayed on our mind as we advocated for an extension of the road diet and bike lanes. So we were very excited to get the good news: phase 2 of this project is in the works!
In early August, residents along the corridor from East Lake to Grant Park received a GDOT Notification letter stating its intent to install a bike lane and lane reconfiguration between Pearl Street and Grant Street, and add mid-block pedestrian crossings and restrictions on left turns at various locations.
There's another GDOT project on Memorial Drive that was originally intended for sidewalks and pedestrian crossings. We hope to have updates on this project soon. With five schools along this corridor, continuous sidewalks and enhanced crossings are essential so kids and communities can safely get to school.
DeKalb Ave
Click map above for detail on bike lane segments
The City of Atlanta finished repaving DeKalb Ave – we’re still waiting on the protected bike lane sections that are still in the works.
There’s a two-way protected bike lane between the Inman Park MARTA Station and Elmira Place (three blocks shy of the Candler Park / Edgewood MARTA Station), a painted bike lane connecting Arizona Ave with Clifton Rd, and an odd-looking but helpful section of two-way protected bike lane from Rocky Ford Rd to Ridgecrest Rd.
Here’s something you may not have expected: the project includes a new two-way protected bike lane between Rocky Ford Rd and Ridgecrest Rd, alongside the existing PATH multi-use trail. Earlier plans called for this segment to remain four lanes. This would have been a missed opportunity to buffer the trail and maintain a consistent three-lane design, so we requested a different use of the space. Next, we need a ramp where the bike lane ends for safe trail access, and for DeKalb County to apply this cross-section design to their short section of the street.
While we’re relieved to have this phase of the project close to finished, DeKalb Ave is far from “complete.” We will continue to keep pressure on the City of Atlanta to deliver the Complete Street promised in 2016. As voters, we approved more funding for this corridor in the 2022 Moving Atlanta Forward program. As advocates, we must keep the pressure on to fulfill this promise and connect DeKalb Ave for sustainable transportation from Atlanta to Decatur.
To keep the focus on this corridor, we’re planning a tour of the new bike lanes once they are completed this fall. Stay tuned for details!
Hollowell
Construction on a safety reconfiguration along three miles of DL Hollowell Parkway, one of Atlanta's deadliest roads on the High-Injury Network, is scheduled to start by the end of August 2023! This is good news for community advocates who have long pushed for these improvements as well as the family of Brittany Glover, killed by a car driver while attempting to cross on foot.
This Georgia Department of Transportation project is intended to make the road safer by reconfiguring the four-lane road to three with a center turn lane to prevent crashes, reduce car speeds, and make it safer to cross on foot or on bike.
But we believe it needs to go further. We’re calling for this configuration to be extended east all the way to Northside Drive. Too many people have died just trying to cross this street. We need your help to ensure long-overdue improvements for Hollowell benefit all communities along this road.
South Boulevard
In June we asked for your help supporting residents in their push for another overdue Complete Street project: South Boulevard. Thank you for taking action! Now, community members with A Safer Boulevard say an engineering firm has been selected to finalize the street design. Expect another round of public input this fall. In addition to the Complete Street project, progress is being made on at least two pedestrian crossings.