Construction crews roll onto Monroe Drive this week as the long-planned Monroe Drive Safe Streets overhaul finally moves from talk to jackhammers. The work will narrow stretches of the corridor, add new crossings and signals, and is likely to shuffle daily routines for anyone who drives, takes MARTA or walks through Midtown.
According to the Atlanta Department of Transportation, the project carries a roughly $18.45 million budget and will resurface, restripe and upgrade signals while replacing sidewalks and ADA ramps where needed. The plan converts sections of Monroe Drive from an undivided four-lane roadway to a three-lane configuration and adds median islands and curb bulb-outs intended to shorten and calm pedestrian crossings.
A ceremonial groundbreaking is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday at Ansley Mall (1544 Piedmont Ave. NE), and officials say traffic modeling shows the lane reconfiguration could cut crashes by about 30 percent while trimming congestion roughly 10 percent, according to Atlanta News First. The $18 million effort is divided into two phases with a combined tentative timeline of about 24 to 30 months. The project traces back to the 2016 death of cyclist Alexia Hyneman; her father Thomas Hyneman told the outlet, "I'm happy. This is happening."
What drivers and transit riders should expect
Drivers can bank on lane shifts, temporary closures and new signal patterns as crews work their way through the corridor. Design elements include center median islands, curb bulb-outs and two new signalized crossings between Montgomery Ferry Drive and Piedmont Road, along with a pedestrian hybrid beacon and several rectangular rapid-flashing beacons to improve crossings. Monroe Drive is a MARTA bus route and a city-designated truck route, and the redesign is being shaped with those vehicle types in mind, according to the Atlanta Department of Transportation.
Cyclists and neighbors voice concerns
The final design does not include dedicated bike lanes. An analysis flagged in recent community meetings recommended unprotected, substandard bike lanes as narrow as 3.5 feet, which would have required a design variance the city says would not be approved. Local advocates have pushed for protected space for people on bikes and scooters and warned that without it riders may be pushed onto sidewalks. Rebecca Serna, an outspoken local advocate, said "it's going to make the street a lot safer" while also warning the lack of bike space could make sidewalks less safe, as reported by Atlanta News First.
Next steps and what to watch
The work is being staged: Phase I will run roughly from just north of Park Drive NE to Armour Drive NE and is expected to take about 12 months, while Phase II covers 8th Street NE through Park Drive NE and carries a tentative 12- to 18-month timeline. Documents released by the city lay out that phasing and schedule. Vision Zero data and city planning have flagged Monroe as part of the High Injury Network that concentrates a large share of fatal and serious-injury crashes, a point local outlets note as officials push safety projects forward. Neighborhood groups and bike advocates say they will be watching whether the city returns to the question of protected bike lanes and how lane shifts, signage and enforcement are handled as construction begins.
