Say goodbye to the potholes on Atlanta’s DeKalb Ave.

ATLANTA — Drivers who motor down the often bumpy DeKalb Avenue may soon see some traffic relief from the Atlanta Department of Transportation.

After a recent meeting with residents and business owners along DeKalb Avenue, Atlanta’s new DOT Commissioner said the pothole-filled road, a main thoroughfare between Downtown Atlanta and Downtown Decatur, could be repaved and restriped by the end of the year.

“I’ve heard an earful and made it important to go out into the community to hear directly from the community,” Solomon Caviness, ATLDOT Commissioner told Channel 2′s Richard Elliott. “Learned that potholes are a challenge. The auxiliary lane is a challenge, and we’ve done what we could to try and address it.”

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To that end, Caviness said that days after the meeting, they removed the reversible lanes from DeKalb Avenue, though the striping remains.

He said they’ve filled more than 70 potholes and added turn lanes at traffic choke points like Krog Street and Clifton Road.

His plan is to repave DeKalb Avenue all the way to the East Lake MARTA Station then restripe it, widening lanes and adding bike lanes.

“My advice to the community and folks who traverse this section is to bear with us,” Caviness said. “It will be an exciting time. Construction always is, but we’re looking forward to making sure that the end product is what everyone expects.”

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Some residents who live nearby and attended that meeting are hopeful but skeptical.

“Oh, DeKalb (Avenue) is a bit of a mess,” Aaron Hodgens said. “They had a lot of positive things, but I think most of us around here just want to see some action. I will believe it when I see it. I do see some changes, and that is positive, but yeah, when the asphalt gets laid, then I’ll be happy.”

Caviness said we can expect to see more work beginning this month and running through the end of the year.

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