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

Tuesday’s Headlines Turn Up the Heat

Triple-digit heat, fueled by climate change, is warping rail lines, interrupting construction work on transit lines and causing burns on sidewalks.

July 16, 2024

These Are the Most Dangerous Congressional Districts for Pedestrians

The deadliest congressional districts in America are dominated by BIPOC communities — and federal officials need to step up to save the most vulnerable road users.

July 16, 2024

Delivery Worker Minimum Wage Shows Promise … For Some, Data Shows

New data from New York City's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection shows minimum wage is bringing order to a previously wild industry.

July 15, 2024

Monday’s Headlines Go Through Basic Training

An NYU study looks into why the U.S. is lagging behind on high-speed rail, and one transportation expert ponders the impact on growth.

July 15, 2024

Sustainable Transportation Advocates Need to Talk About Sustainable Urban Design

A new book hopes to act as a "magic decoder ring" to our built environment — and a powerful tool to understand how sustainable transportation networks can fit within them.

July 15, 2024
See all posts