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Project Profile: Piedmont Avenue Complete Street Project

Piedmont Avenue Complete Street Project - Atlanta, Georgia

Proposed typical condition of Piedmont Avenue with separated bike lane.
Source: Credit to the Midtown Alliance website

CIFS Tool Categories: Value Capture (Transportation Utility Fees)

Project Name Piedmont Avenue Complete Street Project
Location Atlanta, GA
Project Sponsor / Borrower
  • City of Atlanta’s Renew/TSPLOST Program
  • Midtown Alliance
Program Areas Value Capture
Value Capture Techniques Community Improvement District & Sales Tax District
Mode Local Road / Multimodal Pedestrian / Bicycle / Transit
Description

In partnership with Midtown Alliance, Atlanta’s Renew/Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) Program is planning improvements to about 1.1 miles of Piedmont Avenue between Ponce De Leon and 15th Street. The current corridor presents major safety issues for pedestrians and cyclists, including excessive automobile speeding, underutilized parking areas, and a lack of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant elements.

To resolve the issues, the improvements will repurpose the eastern-most parking and travel lane with a protected one-way northbound bike lane for most of the dedicated corridor. The project will replace sidewalks with multi-use paths and improve crosswalks and curb ramps to shorten crossing distances with bulb-outs.

Plans also include milling and resurfacing the roadway, formalizing on-street parking on the west side, and upgrading sidewalks to be ADA-compliant. The city also plans to install stormwater planters to relieve pressure on the combined sewer system. The roadway will include two vehicular travel lanes (ten-to-eleven feet wide each) with additional dedicated turn lanes at key intersections with higher traffic demand.

Cost*

$5.1 million

$2.1 million - Midtown Improvement District Funds
$3 million - City of Atlanta TSPLOST funds for construction

*Cost may change upon project completion

Funding Sources
  • Midtown Improvement District Funds
  • City of Atlanta Renew/TSPLOST
Project Delivery / Contract Method Design-Bid-Build
Private Partner Midtown Alliance
Project Advisors / Consultants Lord Aeck Sargent
Lenders N/A
Duration / Status

Conceptual planning began in November 2016 and was completed in July 2017. This included an inventory and analysis of existing physical conditions, a traffic study, and an on-street parking analysis. A public meeting was held in March 2017 to present initial conceptual plans and receive feedback and ideas from the community. The completed conceptual plans and documentation of existing conditions are linked in the gallery below.

The preliminary planning phase included additional public and stakeholder engagement, and development of more detailed design documents. Design and engineering kicked-off in 2018 to develop construction plans and bid documents, with delivery of final construction documents expected in 2020. Following easement negotiations and public Invitation to Bid, project construction is estimated to begin in early-2021 and be complete in 2022.

Financial Status/Financial Performance The project so far received $2.1 million from the Midtown Improvement District Funds and $3 million in City of Atlanta TSPLOST funds for construction.
Innovations
  • Complete street projects to increase safety and accessibility for all street users, especially for people walking, biking, and with limited mobility
  • Partnership with the City of Atlanta’s Renew/TSPLOST Program for project funding
  • Replacing the sidewalk with a multi-use path, and crosswalk and curb ramp improvements to shorten the crossing distances where possible with bulb-outs.
  • The plan will repurpose the eastern-most parking and travel lane with a protected one-way northbound bike lane for most of the dedicated corridor. A dedicated bike lane with bollard separators creates safer travel for cyclists, eliminating the having to risk weaving through pedestrians on a sidewalk or sharing the road with fast-moving vehicles.
  • Adding stormwater planters to relieve pressure on the street’s combined sewer system will lessen the chances of on-street puddles after heavy rain.
Related Links / Articles
Contact Name Shayna Pollock
Title Managing Director, Transportation
Phone # (404) 658-5984
Email spollock@atlantadowntown.com
 
Name Dan Hourigan
Title Director, Transportation & Sustainability, Midtown Alliance
Phone #  
Email dan@midtownatl.com
Piedmont Avenue Complete Street Project - Atlanta, Georgia

Proposed portion of Piedmont Avenue with separated bike lane and new signal. Image from Midtown Alliance website

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