In West Midtown, Marietta Street could get bike lanes, center turn lane

Marietta Street, stretching from Howell Mill Road to Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard, is gearing up for a long-overdue makeover.

The corridor, linking West Midtown and downtown, is a heavily used truck route, with potholes and crumbling asphalt to show for it. Now, as part of the Renew Atlanta bond package, work will soon begin to tidy up the street.

But, it’s not back to the status quo.

When the street is repaved, plans call for re-striping that will provide a protected center turn lane and dedicated bike lanes on each side. Expect upgrades to the sidewalks and ADA accessibility, too.

Plans show that a 1.3-mile stretch undergoing the road diet will take the existing four lanes—with two lanes in each direction—down to one lane in each direction, with a center turn lane and dedicated five-foot-wide bike lanes on either side.

Additionally, the intersection with Howell Mill Road will be reconfigured, while existing parallel parking will be preserved south of the North Avenue bridge.

Renew Atlanta

Public comments are being accepted through next week, before plans are finalized.

If the Marietta Street revamp materializes, the fresh bike lanes would join other recent additions on Moreland Avenue near Little Five Points and the PATH Parkway, which runs from Centennial Olympic Park and through Georgia Tech before terminating near Howell Mill Road.

• Public Meeting Recap: Marietta Street Resurfacing Project [Renew Atlanta]