Last Updated: 7/14/20

5th Street Complete Street Project

Rendering of proposed project from 5th and Williams Intersection looking east.



Project Overview

As a key east-west corridor connecting Georgia Tech, the Midtown Improvement District, and the Midtown Garden District, 5th Street is one of the most popular multi-modal streets in Atlanta. Despite its many users, the existing street and sidewalk conditions on this major connector vary in quality and character affecting user safety and experience. Current and anticipated future development along the corridor is expected to increase activity of all user groups, necessitating vehicular, pedestrian and bicycle improvements consistent with streetscape environments currently found throughout much of the Midtown Improvement District. Proposed enhancements to the 5th Street corridor between Williams and Myrtle Streets (roughly 0.6 miles) include:

Replacement of damaged sidewalks and curbing.

Additional/upgraded ADA ramps and crosswalks at all intersections.

Complete pedestrian lighting for safety.

Infill street trees and furniture.

Milling, repaving, and restriping of roadway.

Upgrade existing bike lanes and signage.

Midtown Alliance, with its design team led by TSW, and in partnership with the City of Atlanta’s TSPLOST Program, began the Design and Engineering phase of the 5th Street Complete Street project in 2018. Work continued in 2019 and 2020 to accomplish the following activities:

Existing conditions survey and analysis

City and stakeholder coordination

Conceptual & schematic design

Development of construction documents

City approvals and permitting

Construction bid and award

Project Funding

$1.5M in City of Atlanta TSPLOST funds for Construction

$750,000 in GTIB state grant funds for Construction

$750,000 in Midtown Improvement District funds

Total funding: $3.03M

Public Outreach To Date

In April 2018, design development kicked off by soliciting public input on the existing conditions of 5th Street. Input received and the team's responses are provided here.

Following this initial public outreach phase, TSW developed conceptual designs for the corridor. In October 2018, Midtown Alliance, in partnership with the City of Atlanta, shared the concept design of the 5th Street Complete Street project with the public and solicited feedback (comments received are summarized here). The project team received input from key project stakeholders that the project would be improved by retaining on-street parking and providing more substantial mid-block crossings in the Tech Square area while still achieving safety benefits for pedestrians, cyclists, and scooter riders. The team responded by revising the concept design with a protected two-way cycle track, which preserves more parking spaces, and adding elevation to the previously proposed mid-block crossings in the blocks between Williams Street and West Peachtree Street. Midtown Alliance hosted a second public open house on September 18, 2019 to share the revised design with the public (design boards are available to view here). All comments received during this second outreach phase, and responses to those comments, are detailed here.

What’s Next?

Design, Engineering and Permitting will continue through 2020 with construction projected to commence in late 2021. Please stay tuned for project updates! If you have general comments or questions, please contact transportation@midtownatl.com.