So I have lived in Atlanta for about eight years now and I can truly say that this is NOT the city I originally moved to. This city changes more times then any other city I have ever seen. I mean I go back to Sacramento at least twice and year for a couple of days at a time and I see buildings and houses I’ve never seen before. But when I get back from Atlanta after those two or three days, I see full skyscrapers I’ve never seen before. I remember empty abandoned parking lots that now have high rise condos for sale. I’ve seen hip Midtown dance clubs leveled and giant thirty story hotels put in it’s place. Just recently I moved from Buckhead to Vinings and every time I go back there is another street corner gone. Now all Buckhead is is a giant hole in the ground, waiting for high end store front shopping to go in.
But recently Atlanta decided to take a bad traffic situation and make a really bad traffic mess by tearing down the whole 14th Street Bridge and build a new one. Now I know this is going to be nice when it’s finished. I know it will make my commute better in the long run. I know I should just be happy they are making the city better for the future. But man does it suck. Not only does it suck because 75 South is pretty much slammed everyday I drive to work. It sucks because I am getting married in July and my whole wedding guest list is staying in Midtown. Not to mention they are all from out of town. I just hope that all their navigation systems know about all the detours. It will be a mess anyway, so hopefully most people will take the streets and stay away from the highways.
So I did a little research and found some cool new photos of the new 14th Street Bridge. It will have “Several enhancements will be made to improve aesthetics, functionality, and safety in the corridor.
• Midtown’s streetscape palette will be extended throughout the 14th Street corridor and will include wider sidewalks, new street trees, decorative lighting, pavers and street furniture. The bridge itself will have decorative fencing and light pylons to enhance the pedestrian experience.
• The 14th Street corridor will contain a median extending from Fowler Street to West Peachtree Street to improve safety and help beautify this major gateway to Midtown. The medians will bplanted with seasonal flowers, trees, and shrubs and will be maintained by Midtown Alliance.
• A slip ramp will be created on the west side of the connector for southbound vehicles from I-85 that are exiting to 10th Street. Vehicles will no longer”
So I guess it’s cool for now. They never even gave a estimated finish date so I assume this will be going on for years to come. But downtown will be nicer. It should accommodate all the new high rise condos they will be building in the oncomings years. So I can’t complain too much.
Check out this picture from the view of the original 14th Street Bridge in 1953.
resource: http://www.14thstreetbridge.com/