A significant milestone has been reached as the Juniper Complete Street Project in Midtown approaches its final phase of construction, two years after work commenced.
Currently, repaving work is underway at the northern end of the project, specifically between 12th and 14th streets, according to Midtown Alliance officials.
Additionally, a barrier-separated bike lane is being installed in the same area to enhance mobility.
Following a city moratorium that restricts construction during the July 4 holiday, which lasts from noon July 3 to 9 a.m. July 7, the project will resume with the installation of a separate bike lane median along Juniper Street, moving south from 12th to 10th streets next week.
Meanwhile, erosion work and ongoing traffic control measures continue across the entire 12-block scope of Juniper Street.
According to Midtown Alliance spokesperson Brian Carr, the complete street overhaul is expected to finish by late summer this year, provided there are no delays from adverse weather conditions, material shortages, or concurrent work from other contractors.
The Juniper Complete Street Project has been in the making for over a decade, with initial planning, fundraising, and delays beginning back in 2010 when a TSW design team was brought on board.
After much anticipation, the project finally broke ground in May 2023, designated as a 20-month endeavor from the start.
Earlier setbacks in the project timeline were attributed to competing demands for access to Juniper Street from other entities holding priority permits for utility work, construction, or filming activities.
Upon completion, the alterations to Juniper Street will include a one-way, southbound cycletrack that will extend from 14th Street, near Colony Square, down to Ponce de Leon Avenue.
This redesign will reduce vehicle lanes to two and introduce dedicated parallel parking within a new buffer lane in select locations.
Additional updates will feature bioswales, LED lighting, and street furniture, aiming to foster a safer and more welcoming corridor for various forms of urban mobility in a crucial growth area of Midtown.
Funding for the Juniper Street project comes from a blend of city transportation impact fees, along with federal and state grants, and resources from the Midtown Improvement District.
Midtown Alliance officials had once hoped to see the project fully underway by 2016; however, it faced numerous delays linked to inefficiencies related to the city’s procurement system under previous administrations.
In 2022, a pivotal change occurred when Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens appointed a new procurement chief, leading to a new approach praised by Midtown Alliance CEO and president Kevin Green as more streamlined and efficient.
Once completed, the project will allow non-drivers to traverse safely alongside vehicular traffic in six to seven-foot bike lanes, which will be protected by a combination of raised planters and barriers at intersections.
Seasonal planting of trees and landscaping will take place as cooler weather permits.
Early stages of the construction process involved the removal and preservation of historical Juniper Street trolley tracks, which had been buried over the years.
Officials indicated in November that the Juniper Street project remains within its budget, with an estimated cost of $8.7 million, though the timeline has seen extensions.
Additionally, just one block east, a 1.1-mile system of northbound bike lanes is currently being constructed along Piedmont Avenue, from Ponce de Leon Avenue to 15th Street at Piedmont Park.
The Midtown Alliance has also marked this parallel project as ongoing.
image source from:atlanta