Road project expected to snarl a section of Peachtree, temporarily consume sidewalks

Commuters of every sort who use Peachtree Road between Buckhead and Midtown might want to brace for longer trips to and from work in coming months.

A $3.6 million road-widening project that’s being funded by Piedmont Atlanta Hospital began this month and is expected to wrap in early 2020.

But from Saturday, September 3 through September 9, tentatively, Collier Road lanes will be closed to vehicle traffic, and then again from October 25 to 31.

[CLARIFICATION: August 30, 10:30 a.m.—One Collier Road lane will be closed and one will remain open to allow for traffic flow in both directions. Lane closures are planned between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.]

Beginning in September, sidewalks on the hospital’s side of Collier Road will be off limits until January.

Expect a second left-turn lane to be added from Collier Road eastbound to Peachtree Road northbound.

Meanwhile, officials say, sidewalks around the growing hospital will be expanded, and “the ‘curve’ for drivers turning right onto Collier from Peachtree will be softened,” according to an announcement today.

The project coincides with ongoing work at the glassy, 16-story Piedmont Atlanta Tower, a $603 million venture on track to open late next summer.

Piedmont Hospital Atlanta

Officials say the road widening jibes with BeltLine Overlay District standards and will create a more pleasant experience for pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers once finished.

Piedmont Atlanta Hospital has deeded about an acre—valued at $900,000—to the city to make expansions possible.

“At a hospital where we have nearly 280,000 outpatient encounters and more than 50,000 emergency department visits a year,” added hospital CEO Patrick M. Battey, M.D., in a prepared statement, “this project not only will benefit our patients but also the entire Atlanta community as a whole.”

Funded by a $75 million gift from The Marcus Foundation, the new tower topped out in March. Its first phase is scheduled to house more than 400 beds with 13 new operating rooms.