In the works for years, a boardwalk-style project that aims to boost pedestrian access between one of metro Atlanta’s most popular malls and a transit station could break ground soon.
According to Buckhead Community Improvement District officials, the “urban linear park” now officially called the “Lenox Boardwalk” is set to begin construction in October. It’s the first phase of a broader, three-phase plan to boost pedestrian infrastructure, traffic flow, and the overall appearance of areas near some of Atlanta’s busiest shopping destinations and Buckhead’s main intersections.
The boardwalk component will see a 10 to 12-foot multi-use trail installed along Lenox Road, spanning from the Lenox MARTA station at East Paces Ferry Road up to Peachtree Road.
“This wide boardwalk will enhance visual aesthetics of the area while creating a better connection between existing businesses,” note Buckhead CID officials in a recent summary.
Conceptual plans for the Lenox Boardwalk. Courtesy of Buckhead CID
The section of Lenox Road (and its current sidewalks) in question today, with a main mall entry at right. Google Maps
The boardwalk is considered section one of the Lenox Road Complete Street, part of a study unveiled in 2017 for upgrading the busy artery through commercial Buckhead. All three phases continue to move forward, per Buckhead CID.
Phase two plans to pick up where the boardwalk leaves off, focusing on the section of Lenox Road between Peachtree Road and Phipps Boulevard. Upgrades call for additional lighting and larger sidewalks, staircases, and ramps.
Designs for section two are in progress and expected to be finished later this year, with construction starting in 2024, per Buckhead CID.
Pedestrian infrastructure improvements planned for section two of the Lenox Road Complete Street vision. Courtesy of Buckhead CID
The final section of Lenox Road changes remains in conceptual mode but would bring the most dramatic alterations of all.
It calls for upgrading the section of Lenox Road between Phipps Boulevard and Piedmont Road. An elevated pedestrian and bicycle bridge—as unveiled in concepts last year—would rise and swoop over the car-choked Lenox Road and Ga. Highway 400 interchange, acting as a gateway to Buckhead’s highway-capping park concept, HUB404.
A concept report for section three is being reviewed by the Georgia Department of Transportation. Buckhead CID expects construction to begin sometime in 2025.
For all three sections, Buckhead CID officials are partnering with the City of Atlanta, MARTA, GDOT, and design firms Pond & Company and Kimley-Horn.
Tentative plans released in 2022 for the Lenox Road Complete Street project's third phase. Courtesy of Buckhead CID
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