The Georgia Department of Transportation recently unveiled draft proposals for Peachtree Road between North Druid Hills Road and Ashford-Dunwoody Road in Brookhaven that includes narrowing street lanes, a multi-use trail and a raised median as part of a vision to create a boulevard feel to this stretch of the busy corridor.

An open house hosted by the city and AECOM, the firm hired by the city last year for the project, was held Sept. 14 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at City Hall.

The proposed plan stems from the Brookhaven-Peachtree Livable Centers Initiative designed more than a decade ago through the Atlanta Regional Commission as a way to boost commercial development as well as provide pedestrian safety along this 1.38 mile stretch.

The proposals include keeping the same number of lanes but narrowing them from 12 feet wide to 10.5 feet, constructing a 10-foot wide multi-use sidewalk/bicycle track on the east side of the road along the MARTA wall, and replacing the center turn lane with a raised median, said Will Sheehan, project manager for AECOM.

The raised median would force motorists leaving the many businesses on the west side of the road from darting into the flush center turn lane in the center of the road, a practice that is not safe or efficient, he said.

“The idea is to funnel left turns to traffic signals,” he said.

Planned improvements will make also make it easier for pedestrians to access the DeKalb Services Center, Oglethorpe University and the Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA station and to bus stops along this section of Peachtree Road, according to city officials.

“The project will improve connectivity of transportation infrastructure to the surrounding areas including … the Town Brookhaven mixed-use development,” according to a project description from the city. “This project will encourage and promote future redevelopment projects within the area as more residents and citizens will find it attractive and convenient while businesses will view the area as prime and lucrative.”

Other improvements proposed include landscaping strips, decorative brick paver strips, benches, trash receptacles, bus shelters and pedestrian/street lighting.

Several retaining walls are also being proposed to separate commercial property from private property. Proposed right-of-way amounts have not yet been determined because the project is early in the process.

Sheehan said the earliest the project could go to bid would be November 2020. Construction is currently estimated to cost $5.5 million with acquisition of right-of-way estimated to cost $3.7 million.

“Nothing is set in stone,” he said. “These are very early estimates.”

To view the materials from the open house, click here.

Public comments are being accepted by the city of Brookhaven and GDOT through Sept. 28. Comments can be made to Hari Karikaran, City of Brookhaven City Hall, Public Works Department, 4362 Peachtree Road, Brookhaven, GA 30319.

Residents can also make public comments by visiting www.dot.ga.gov/PS/Public/PublicOutreach, then finding the menu at the bottom of the cover page. From the menu, select DeKalb County and click “Go.” Then select “SR 141 (Peachtree Road) Pedestrian Improvements” and lastly click “comment” and follow the instructions to leave a comment.