More than six months after breaking ground, an eastside intersection conversion and extension of a key Atlanta Beltline trail connection remain far from completion, but better news could be on tap in coming months.

Georgia Department of Transportation’s contractor began construction in November on the conversion of Moreland Avenue (Ga. Highway 42) where it meets Arkwright Place, a connecting point between the Edgewood and Reynoldstown neighborhoods. The project’s goal is to remedy a major chokepoint for both vehicle traffic and pathway users on foot and bikes trying to cross a busy intown street. 

But according to GDOT’s project summary, the work remains less than 26 percent finished today. 

Ongoing trail and street closures require than anyone using the Eastside Trolley Trail—a popular multi-use connection between Kirkwood and blocks near the Beltline’s Eastside Trail, installed by the PATH Foundation three years ago—must weave into vehicle traffic on Arkwright Place. 

Where the Eastside Trolley Trail in Edgewood meets current GDOT trail construction, as seen earlier this month. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Where the GDOT intersection remake stood as of June 7. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Officials with GDOT and Atlanta Department of Transportation have not responded to recent inquiries for project updates. But as transportation safety advocates Propel ATL point out, GDOT has listed the targeted completion date for the Moreland Avenue project as Oct. 31 this year. 

GDOT’s plans call for converting the intersection into what’s known as a right-in/right-out, or RIRO. That will be achieved by building a long median that prevents cars from turning left off of Moreland Avenue. 

Other changes on Arkwright Place will see a median installed that prohibits cars from continuing west over Moreland Avenue into Reynoldstown. 

For people not traveling by car, a signalized crossing specifically for pedestrians and bicyclists will be installed to help Eastside Trolley Trail users cross Moreland Avenue. 

Exactly where that crossing will be installed and how it will function isn’t totally clear. (GDOT hasn’t responded to our inquires seeking clarification dating back to December.) 

A rendering provided by GDOT to Urbanize Atlanta last year showed a crosswalk installed farther north along Moreland Avenue, requiring trail users in both directions to head away from Arkwright Place:

Preferred changes selected by Georgia Department of Transportation officials that include a signalized crossing for pedestrians (top), new medians, and a widened, lengthened pathway, as shown in a rendering provided by GDOT in November. Courtesy of GDOT

But multiple tipsters and transportation advocates have sent word those plans are dated, and that the bike and pedestrian crossing will head straight across Moreland Avenue, alongside a HAWK (or high-intensity activated crosswalk) beacon for traffic control.

A diagram showing what appears to be a revised GDOT configuration for trail crosswalks where Arkwright Place meets Moreland Avenue; officials haven't confirmed this. Submitted; alterations, Urbanize Atlanta

In any case, GDOT officials have said the changes will help reduce congestion and improve safety at the intersection.

A mini-roundabout was previously considered for the intersection, but those plans were scrapped due to right-of-way restrictions and the proximity of historic properties nearby. 

Needed improvements for the intersection were first identified two decades ago as part of a City of Atlanta 2005 Livable Centers Initiative analysis. That recommended closing the Arkwright Place northern slip lane and adding a multi-use trail. 

The intersection was also pinpointed as a sore point in 2008 and 2012 studies. 

The latter was a Memorial Drive road safety report, conducted by GDOT’s Office of Traffic Operations and the City of Atlanta, that noted the intersection was a “major bike route” with “inadequate bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure as well as signal and pavement issues,” per GDOT. 

Swing up to the gallery for more context and photos. 

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