3.1. Georgia Projects

5th Street Bridge Design/Build

The Project: The purpose is to create a more pedestrian-friendly bridge with amenities such as wide sidewalks and trees. The bridge will provide a vital link between the main Georgia Tech campus on the west side of Interstate 75/85 and the Technology Square development on the east side.

Location: Atlanta, Georgia.

Context Setting: Urban

Stakeholders: GDOT, Georgia Tech, the City of Atlanta, Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, Atlanta Regional Commission, and the Midtown Alliance.

The Process:

The Georgia Department of Transportation’s reconstruction of the 5th Street Bridge is underway. Crews have already demolished the south half of the bridge and are expected to rebuild it by September 2005.  The traffic pattern will then be switched, and reconstruction of the north side will begin. The entire project is scheduled for completion in November 2006.

 

Lessons Learned:

The project will be completed in two phases, demolishing and rebuilding the bridge one half at a time, thus enabling the bridge to remain open to pedestrian and vehicular traffic throughout the project which was a stakeholder concern.

Replacement of the 5th Street Bridge will include larger sidewalks, planter walls, and area with sod grass, park benches, trees, decorative lighting and bridge pavers to enhance pedestrian experience. The in town areas consist of a collection of neighborhoods separated by arterial roads and urban expressways.  Projects like these will pave the way to transforming Atlanta and knitting the fabric of the neighborhoods back together into a community setting. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

View from bridge looking east towards Midtown

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

View southeast looking towards Midtown’s Tech Square

Additional information about this project is available online at: www.midtownalliance.org/TI_bridges.html