City council approves long-awaited improvements to DeKalb Avenue

By Collin Kelley

The Atlanta City Council unanimously approved legislation at its June meeting to spend $5.4 million on long-awaited improvements to DeKalb Avenue and Decatur Street.

The council earmarked $5.4 million to increase safety along the busy corridor from Jackson Street to Ridgecrest Road, including removal of the reversible lane, the addition of a dedicated left turn lane, bike lanes along certain sections of the thoroughfare, and road resurfacing and sidewalk repairs.

Decatur/DeKalb is notorious for its potholes and frequent accidents due to the reversible lane. Residents who live in communities along the road as well as commuters have been begging the city for repairs and upgrades for years.

Residents approved funding for road improvements like DeKalb Avenue in 2015’s Renew Atlanta TSPLOST vote. Planning, study, and data collection has been ongoing since 2016 even as the roadway continued to deteriorate. City estimates show more than 1,000 vehicle accidents along the corridor from 2015 to 2020.

“The improvements coming to DeKalb Avenue are important to our administration’s plan for safer streets,” Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said in a statement after the council vote. “Making the road inclusive for drivers, bike riders and pedestrians will give all residents more secure ways to get around and ultimately make our city safer.”

The Atlanta Department of Transportation will oversee the construction. The safety improvement project is expected to begin later this summer.