Peachtree Road transformation project to get another look

By Collin Kelley INtown Editor

Further community meetings on the Peachtree Road transformation project are on hold while the entities involved reevaluate plans for bike lanes, wider sidewalks, new trees, new lighting, buried utilities and left turn signals and lanes.

The Buckhead Community Improvement District (CID) says that in response to community comments and traffic forecasts, it is taking a new look at the Peachtree Road project. The redesign is expected to take until the end of the year.

“After hearing from our community, our goal is to gather additional information that will help us shape the best transportation facility we can,” Jim Durrett, executive director of the Buckhead CID, said in a press release announcing the delay.

The stretch of Peachtree Road from Maple Drive in Buckhead to Deering Road just north of I-85 in Midtown now is under review by Georgia DOT and by consultants hired by the Buckhead CID to determine if a new street design can be developed that would better address the safety for motorists and pedestrians.

“We had hoped to hold our next public open house in July to share the latest proposed plans for the corridor,” Durrett said. “However, both Georgia DOT and the Buckhead CID have decided to take additional time to respond to concerns expressed by residents living in neighborhoods adjacent to Peachtree Road.”

During the July 10 Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods (BCN) meeting, Nina Schwartz from Neighborhood Planning Unit A expressed her concerns about plans to remove traffic lanes along Peachtree to make room for dedicated bike lanes and turn lanes.

“We’re concerned that this road dieting plan will cause more congestion on Peachtree and divert traffic into the neighborhoods,” Schwartz said. “Peachtree is already at capacity with 64,000 vehicles traveling the road daily.”

Schwartz said she and her neighbors were also concerned about cyclists maneuvering along Peachtree Road in such high volume traffic and the number of curb cuts the bike lanes will have to cross.

Atlanta City Councilwoman Mary Norwood, who was also in attendance at the BCN meeting, said she believed the plan should be adjusted and that she was opposed to the road diet plan on Peachtree.

But Buckhead CID chairman David Allman said the organization’s first priority was addressing existing and future automobile traffic.

“If the experts don’t believe that we can make an overall improvement in terms of mobility and safety, then it’s a non-starter as far as we are concerned,” Allman said.

Allman said the CID is not considering restriping lanes, as was done on West Paces Ferry between East Andrews Drive and Peachtree Road. The CID plans to pay to redo the road striping in that area, Allman said.

“We realize that virtually everybody dislikes what was previously done on West Paces Ferry,” Allman said. “The public should be assured that this is absolutely not being considered for Peachtree.”

Durrett said the new plans would make sure Peachtree provides a safe thoroughfare for cars.

“Our first priority is to optimize the capacity of Peachtree for safer and more reliable movement of automobiles, Durrett said. “However, if we can accomplish this goal and still make Peachtree Road a better place to navigate on foot or on a bicycle, we absolutely should try to do both.”