First Peachtree Street bridge upgrade nearing completion
August 22,2016
The first of two refurbished bridges on Peachtree Street over the Downtown Connector will be dedicated by the end of next month.
Central Atlanta Progress and the Midtown Alliance have been working with the Georgia Department of Transportation on improvements to the two Peachtree bridges, which span Interstate 75/85 just above Ralph McGill Boulevard in downtown Atlanta and near the Brookwood Interchange in Midtown.
The downtown bridge overhaul will be the first completed, A.J. Robinson, president of Central Atlanta Progress, told members of the State Transportation Board Wednesday. The Midtown bridge is due to follow next April.
Both bridges will feature lettering visible to motorists traveling the Connector identifying the two overpasses as Peachtree Street. The signs will light up at night.
Decorative but functional fencing along each bridge will prevent trash from being thrown over the sides onto the highway.
“It’s just going to be a 100 percent improvement,” Robinson said. “We’re very excited about it.”
The southernmost of the two bridge refurbishing projects costs $1.9 million, with the DOT picking up $714,000 of the price tag. The state will put $986,000 toward the $3.6 million in improvements at the northernmost bridge.
The Woodruff Foundation also contributed to the work.