Buckhead’s push to become more approachable for non-motorists—and less hostile toward things like, gasp, bike lanes—could change one of the subdistrict’s busiest traffic corridors soon.
According to Buckhead Community Improvement District officials, the Georgia Department of Transportation plans to open construction bids next month for a Complete Street overhaul of Piedmont Road near high-rises and shopping centers in Buckhead’s commercial core.
Buckhead CID plans to widen Piedmont Road for a few blocks between Peachtree and Lenox roads with a goal of enhancing pedestrian and cycling mobility and creating better traffic flow.
Construction is expected to start in October, according to a recent project update.
The section of Piedmont Road in question. Google Maps
Specifically, plans call for a shared-use path to be added on the west side of Piedmont Road, nearest to the former Disco Kroger shopping center.
Meanwhile, the street itself will be widened to three lanes in each direction with a new dedicated left turn lane implemented.
The expansion plans were initially recommended in a 2008 Piedmont Transportation Study. It’s been a long road since.
Nearly a decade later, Buckhead CID succeeded in securing a significant amount of the project funding from the City of Atlanta’s Renew Infrastructure program and the Atlanta Regional Commission.
Courtesy of Buckhead CID
The following year, in 2018, Buckhead CID hired transportation firm Croy Engineering to design the Piedmont Road project and draft construction plans for contractors. And in 2019, Buckhead CID heads approved the use of CID funds to fill the remain funding gaps required to make the project happen.
A few blocks away, the same group of Buckhead booster is moving forward plans for a pedestrian-friendly Lenox Road overhaul. A boardwalk section near Lenox Mall is also scheduled to begin construction in October.
Courtesy of Buckhead CID
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