By Tom McGowan
The City of Atlanta will soon be implementing road improvements on Woodward Avenue in Grant Park. This will take place from Kelly Street on the west to Boulevard on the east side.
The work will include the following, according to the city’s website: “Asphalt street resurfacing, milling, and point repairs; roadway striping, ADA-compliant ramp upgrades and installation; drainage, utility and other miscellaneous structure adjustments; and concrete work in the ROW [Right of Way].” The initial plan included eliminating parking and alternating sides of the street parking to affect a weaving “chicane” (an artificial narrowing or turn) pattern to slow down traffic.
The City of Atlanta has stated that they sent out 300 notifications to local residents. Local input via a Zoom meeting last November had stressed the need to retain parking. It also established that vehicle speed is not an issue at present due to parking on both sides of Woodward Avenue (and the street’s many stop signs). Also confirmed was that many homeowners have no driveway, that spillover from the businesses on Memorial already adds significant car parking, and that truck deliveries would be negatively affected by lane narrowing. Based on the current plan, it appears that lanes will be striped for car/bike sharing and parking will be retained.
Construction will begin during the summer.
Comments can be sent to the city at www.AtlDOTt@atlantaGA.GOV and plans can be seen at www.tinyurl.com/Woodward-repaving. A video of the local meeting on 11/15/22 can be viewed on the City of Atlanta website.
