Temporary growing pains are about to get real around a MARTA transit station at the nexus of several eastside neighborhoods.

MARTA officials send word that a section of DeKalb Avenue/West Howard Avenue and the PATH Trail linking downtown to Stone Mountain will be shut down this weekend to allow for the installation of a new pedestrian bridge.

The 2260 College Ave. transit hub is located at the Atlanta-Decatur city line, abutting Lake Claire, Oakhurst, and Kirkwood neighborhoods.

The next phase of MARTA’s station upgrades at East Lake calls for installing a new pedestrian bridge on the north side of the station, spanning West Howard Avenue.

Expect the major east-west thoroughfare to be closed between Melrose Avenue and Ridgecrest Road from  8 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Monday morning.

Ditto for the popular Stone Mountain PATH Trail in the area.

East Lake station's north bridge today. Google Maps

Projected look of East Lake station's north bridge over West Howard Avenue. Courtesy of MARTA

According to MARTA, an off-duty officer will be on site and detour signs will be posted to help motorists navigate around the construction. PATH Trail pedestrians and cyclists are being advised to use College Avenue as a detour.

Parking and access to MARTA trains will remain open on the south side of the station this coming weekend.

Other changes to note: MARTA’s local bus route 19 will be detoured this weekend, but routes 2 and 34 will not be impacted. The new Station Soccer pitch in the north parking lot and MARTA Mobility shuttle services at the station will be closed.

MARTA officials also warn that rail service to the station will be single-tracked, which could result in delays.

Courtesy of MARTA

Interior look of new East Lake station pedestrian bridges. Courtesy of MARTA

Demolition work began at the station in March as part of MARTA's Station Rehabilitation Program, a multi-year renovation planned for all 38 rail stations across the system.

MARTA officials have said the East Lake project will add a “cleaner, safer” bridge with a new elevator, wall screening, flooring, upgraded lighting, and paint, and improved Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility.

Once construction wraps on the north pedestrian bridge, MARTA plans to repeat the process with the south bridge spanning into Kirkwood over College Avenue sometime later this year.

The work is part of MARTA’s Service, Experience, and Expansion program—or SEE—which the agency has called a priority for fiscal year 2024.

Also included in SEE efforts is MARTA’s first bus rapid transit line (scheduled to open from downtown to Summerhill and Peoplestown next year) and the debut of new rail cars and more climate-friendly electric buses.

Other initiatives include station renovations at Bankhead, Indian Creek, and Airport stations, along with the addition of “smart” restrooms, fresh station canopies, and resurfaced and re-striped parking lots, according to the agency.

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