Adam RollinsThe city of Atlanta will use $199.9 million to help reconnect downtown and midtown Atlanta, create urban greenspace, improve transportation and enhance mobility. Plans include increasing affordable housing, sustainable infrastructure, access to critical amenities and supporting underserved communities.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) provided $157.6 million through the Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) grant program to begin Phase 1 of the Atlanta Stitch project. It will cost approximately $713 million to complete all sections of the Stitch. The project is in the design phase, with construction beginning in 2026.
The NAE program is designed to improve walkability, safety and affordable transportation access in disenfranchised communities. The Selma-to-Montgomery Trail project is one of 132 projects that will receive a portion of the $3.3 billion USDOT awarded for Fiscal Year 2023.
As part of the Stitch project, Atlanta will build a 14-acre mixed-use development cap covering three-quarters of the Downtown Connector. Plans include building a major park comprised of three distinct components to serve the community. These sections will include a dynamic urban plaza connecting residents with the city’s metro and bus system, an active greenspace with multimodal transportation paths and a park providing access to key city centers.
The city will provide more than 3000 affordable housing units for local neighborhoods. Plans include using the Stitch to reconnect historic streets and retrofit existing roadways into multimodal complete streets. The complete streets will feature bike lanes, street trees and improved pedestrian crossings.
The city will ensure the project will help mitigate the impact the Downtown Connector on local communities by reducing noise, pollution and ensuring communities are no longer physically separated from city amenities. The Stitch will also help lower emissions by improving traffic flow, reducing the urban heat island with greenspace, implement energy-efficient technologies and capture and distribute clean water.
Photo courtesy of ThreadATL
