ATLANTA — Part of Peachtree Street is getting a major makeover to make it more people-friendly.
The city of Atlanta started installing a new shared sidewalk road project on Peachtree Street between Baker and Ellis streets.
They are shrinking the road from four lanes to two lanes, putting in other lane for bikes and scooters, and expanding the sidewalk. On Tuesday, crews put up cones and installed small barriers along a lane, each direction.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Other cities like Seattle and Miami have similar designs. Atlanta city planners say the shared streets project will allow the city to give space back to people rather than focus solely on cars.
But not everyone is excited for the project. Some say the new lanes will create more problems for delivery trucks or armored vehicles for businesses along the stretch of road.
“This is a public safety hazard to do the shareable streets,” said Matthew Peterson, of Smart Streets Atlanta. “None of the stakeholders on the street want it. They’re affecting the service vehicles for small businesses, like Uber Eats. You’re affecting armored vehicles that go to the five banks on this street.”
City leaders said they have been talking and working on this project since 2018.
The city says the project will be done in three phases, so anyone who has concerns can voice them and they can possibly adjust and modify.
Phase two will start later this summer.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2021 Cox Media Group
