Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Atlanta

Atlanta is Blowing Safety Money on a Flashy Ped Bridge

Rendering: CPL

A pedestrian bridge rising over the Atlanta Falcons' stadium site is becoming a symbol of the city's misplaced priorities.

Pedestrian advocates say the city has about $1 billion in needed sidewalk and curb-ramp repair work. But such necessary safety investments are being shortchanged in favor of a $33 million pedestrian bridge over Northside Drive, between the Mercedes Benz Stadium and a MARTA station.

The costs of the bridge have climbed almost $10 million since the project's genesis, bringing Atlanta's contribution to $27 million, the urbanist site ThreadATL reports.

Worse, thanks to lack of funds, the city is putting on hold other complete-streets projects that would offer real safety benefits to a greater number of pedestrians than does a bridge catering only to a select number of stadium goers. City leaders recently cut such projects off the city's "Renew Atlanta" bond list for lack of funding. Meanwhile, the pedestrian bridge ate up $19 million in "Renew Atlanta" bond funding — when it wasn't among projects voters approved for such funds in the first place.

Darin Givens, a local walkability advocate, says it would have been much smarter to design a street-level safe crossing at Northside Drive. In fact, that's what the neighborhood -- Vine City -- called for in its master plan.

"It’s an amazing sum for a pedestrian bridge that basically serves the needs to people who are driving to the parking lots of Northside Drive so they can walk in the pedestrian bridge to the stadium," he told Streetsblog. "It basically gets pedestrians off the street so they don’t get slowed down."

"It’s completely antithetical to what we should be doing," he said. "We should be promoting more transit use."

The pedestrian bridge, however, was supported by Atlanta's previous mayor, Kasim Reed. ThreadATL's Lauren Welsh said the mayor wanted "something fancy for Super Bowl 2019."

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Wednesday’s Headlines Have a System

The safe systems approach to street design, popular in Europe, could cut U.S. traffic deaths in half.

May 21, 2025

Does Transportation Advocacy Have a Place In the Wake of a Deadly Tornado?

Much of St. Louis is struggling in the wake of a deadly tornado. Amid such disasters, urbanism needs a pause and a rethink.

May 21, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines Show Elections Have Consequences

"Woke" transit agencies need not apply for federal grants now that father of nine Sean Duffy is in charge.

May 20, 2025

Should We Treat the Local Bus As a Basic Right?

There's a way of framing public transit that makes the bus a useful mobility tool for everyone: as a moving extension of the sidewalk network.

May 20, 2025

Op-Ed: Public Transportation is Key to Social Mobility

"As wealth inequality grows and social mobility becomes more difficult, people without access to mobility will be left behind."

May 19, 2025

Car Harms Monday: Machines Took Over Cities and Left Humans in the Dust

There isn't enough physical space for every single household to store its fleet of personal vehicles in front of the home, nor is there space for everyone to drive at the same time. So let's fix that.

May 19, 2025
See all posts