$2.5 million bridge opens
BY AMY WENK A long-awaited bridge project over Peachtree Creek has opened in south Buckhead. The $2.5 million Confluence Pedestrian Bridge spans 175 feet, offering “an unprecedented bird’s-eye view” of the South and North Forks of the creek, according to an announcement. Located off Adina Drive, the bridge connects to the Confluence Trail and a new project called the Creek Walk Connector. It will also provide a critical link to future expansions of the Atlanta Beltline and PATH400 Greenway, which are set to converge in the area.
“It’s truly a bridge to the future,” said Julie Ralston, chair of the South Fork Conservancy, the nonprofit group that spearheaded the project. It’s an important project for Buckhead, an area of Atlanta lacking in greenspace. It also allows people more access to Peachtree Creek, a waterway with significant history in the city. The bridge features a “bowstring truss design” that’s reminiscent of the historic train bridges that once crossed Atlanta creeks. It weighs 70 tons and took a massive crane to lift it into place. Made of Corten steel, the bridge will weather over time, turning a dark-brown color in a decade or two. It also has three large ADA-accessible platforms at the south end of the bridge. The South Fork Conservancy is working to build 30 miles of creekside trails and preserve the banks and tributaries of the South Fork. It’s behind the Confluence, Cheshire Farm and Meadow Loop trails in Buckhead, as well as Zonolite Park in DeKalb County.
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