More safety improvements are in the works on Ralph David Abernathy in the West End and Mechanicsville! West End community members and businesses are working to improve the corridor. And this is not just a planning exercise -- the Georgia Department of Transportation plans to resurface the street. It then plans to implement safety improvements that could transforming the corridor into a place safe for people walking, biking, and riding transit, as well as driving.
Take Action
Let’s rally in support of these improvements – and advocate to make them even better! Show your support for a safer Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard:
Sign the Petition
The Issue
Ralph David Abernathy Blvd is a key east-west corridor in the City of Atlanta. It’s home to multiple neighborhoods with thousands of residents and workers, not to mention daily destinations such as grocery stores, parks, jobs, as well as a high-ridership MARTA bus route (#71).
Ralph David Abernathy Blvd is especially important to us because it’s on what’s known as the “High-Injury Network” – those relatively few streets that account for the majority of serious injury and fatal traffic crashes. One of our core goals is to save lives by abolishing the High-Injury Network.
Community-Based Solutions
The “Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard Great Streets Study” is an initiative of the West End Community Improvement District (CID), supported by the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Livable Centers Initiative. The goal is to come up with solutions that make using this corridor safe and pleasant for everyone, by all types of transportation. Check out the presentation to learn more.
Plus, there are two planned, funded projects coming soon Ralph David Abernathy:
- Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT): West of Metropolitan, RDA is a state route. GDOT is repaving this part of the street and planning a multimodal safety project. The safety project proposes to install a 4-to-3 lane road transformation with bike/LIT lanes, signalized intersections, and new left turn lanes, along with leading pedestrian intervals to make crossing the street safer! Project Details on GDOT's website
- City of Atlanta: East of Metropolitan, Abernathy is an Atlanta city street. It is scheduled for improvements through the Moving Atlanta Forward infrastructure package in 2025. The City describes this project as "installation of on‐street protected bike lane and other safety improvements where feasible."
