At the beginning of the year, Urbanize Atlanta readers voted the Jackson Street Bridge’s people-friendly overhaul as one of the very top “wish list items” across the city.
Unfortunately, that year was 2022.
But with an injection of new funding lined up, signs are pointing to the needed redo of Old Fourth Ward's “selfie mecca” finally moving forward.
Liliana Bakhtiari, Atlanta City Council member (District 5), tells Urbanize her office has recently put $300,000 toward the project “to get it full financed.”
As a next step, the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District is helping with the bidding process to find a construction company that would implement changes on the bridge and nearby streets, Bakhtiari said.
The Jackson Street Bridge has emerged as one of Atlanta’s most popular destinations for wedding photos, Insta posts, The Walking Dead tourism, and anything else involving skyline photography.
Initially floated in 2014, the idea for redoing the bridge has been refined with neighborhood input over the years. In 2019, Colorado-based advocacy group PeopleForBikes awarded Atlanta a $10,000 grant to help make the miniature park—or “parklet”—happen on the bridge, all dotted with shrubs, trees, and interesting, functional seating. Three years ago, city officials said the bridge work would be finished by the end of 2021. But the project never managed to break ground.
An early concept from 2014 that articulated some ideas for improving the popular destination.Department of City Planning; Atlanta City Studio
The revised Jackson Street placemaking plan that was once expected to move forward in 2021, per city officials.Department of City Planning; Atlanta City Studio
When construction might move forward—and how long it might take before the revised bridge is finished—isn’t yet clear. We’ve submitted inquiries this week with City of Atlanta and Atlanta Department of Transportation officials but had not heard back as of press time.
As part of the Department of City Planning’s Placemaking Program, the project would reconfigure traffic and bike lanes along Jackson Street to increase safety and vibrancy. The bridge’s parklet would be a wide pedestrian area with seating, ADA access, an array of plantings in raised planters, and possibly bike racks, city officials have said.
A new protected cycle track would extend from the PATH Foundation’s Freedom Parkway Trail to the Baker-Highland Trail, better linking Old Fourth Ward with downtown.
The project went through the permitting process in 2021 with both Atlanta’s and Georgia’s departments of transportation. Renew Atlanta funds are expected to foot most of the bill, officials said at the time.
In the above gallery, find a detailed look at the Jackson Street Bridge project’s evolution over the years.
Below, find before/after glimpses of what’s now planned, according ATLDOT’s most recent renderings, beginning just south of the bridge at Cain Street:
