Drivers cruising through DeKalb County will now be met with a more scenic view. Following a multimillion-dollar endeavor aimed at revitalizing the area's gateways, travelers along I-20 and I-85 can enjoy the fresh landscape of newly installed greenery and LED lighting. The roads in question, which include Chamblee Tucker, Flat Shoals, and Candler Roads, are some of the busiest highways Atlanta metro has to offer.
Funded by DeKalb County, the Gateway Beautification Project was completed recently, enhancing about 20 acres of land. In a statement obtained by DeKalb County News, CEO Michael Thurmond expressed his optimism about the project, believing it would foster community pride and welcome new business investments. "No matter where you enter or leave DeKalb—north, south, east or west—these beautified gateways will send a message that DeKalb County is a welcoming place to live, work and play," Thurmond said.
Russell Landscape, who won the bid for the design and installation of the beautification project, has been tasked with both planting a varying range of flowering trees and the weekly maintenance that follows. These aesthetic improvements are expected to not only attract new businesses but to aid in curbing criminal activity, a benefit underscored by the findings of Eugenia C. South of the University of Pennsylvania's Urban Health Lab, which indicated a correlation between urban beautification and the reduction of crime.
The project stands as a testament to an eight-year initiative against blight, a campaign reportedly totaling in excess of $20 million. CEO Thurmond, in his gratitude expressed to the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and Commissioner Russell McMurry for their partnership, also highlighted the strides made in various other efforts. These efforts, performed in tandem with the Gateway project, included the demolition of nearly 700 properties, improved maintenance along county properties, and collaboration with MARTA to enhance bus stops throughout DeKalb.
As part of the beautification, energy-efficient LED streetlights now line the renovated interstates, serving to both illuminate and secure the paths of the countless vehicles that traverse these roads daily. The county anticipates these changes will usher in a new era for DeKalb, one marked by a decrease in crime and an upswing in community engagement and economic opportunity.
