Atlanta, Georgia – Huff Road in Atlanta’s Blandtown area may soon get a much-needed makeover that will make things better for everyone: pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers. The corridor is the focus of a new plan to make it safer, greener, and easier to get to. It is known for its heavy traffic and bumpy ground.
The Upper Westside Community Improvement District is in charge of the Huff Road Multimodal Study, which is pushing for change. The plan includes a number of upgrades, such as widening walkways, building a bridge for bikes and pedestrians, and installing green infrastructure to better handle stormwater runoff.
According to Axios, the project is unique since it tries to improve connectivity without making the route wider. That’s not easy, given how tight Huff Road is and how much development is going on there. The concept doesn’t expand outward; instead, it reconsiders how the space is used inside the corridor’s current footprint. Adeline Collot, the program director for the Upper Westside CID, says that this plan keeps the street’s uniqueness while making it safer and more efficient.
Over the years, the neighborhood around Huff Road has changed a lot. The corridor used to be full of industrial warehouses, but it later became a popular place for furniture and fabric stores. Now, it is one of Atlanta’s busiest areas for mid-rise housing and mixed-use construction. New shopping complexes and homes are going up all throughout the neighborhood, and a planned BeltLine trail stretch will likely run along the northern boundary of the area.
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Building a trail next to the Water Works reservoir is a big part of the plan. This trail would eventually connect Huff Road to Howell Mill Road, which would be renovated to be more bike-friendly. This would make an important link between different portions of the Upper Westside. There is also a new pedestrian and bicycle bridge over the train tracks in the works. This will make it even easier to go east and west across the corridor.
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There are also plans to make traffic safer. Officials are looking into the timing of the signals and possible improvements at the intersection with Marietta Boulevard, which is a known traffic jam. The idea is to make traffic go more smoothly while slowing down cars. This will cut down on the stop-and-go problems that drivers often have.
The next step is to make the amended study available to the public. A representative from Atlanta’s Department of City Planning said that the new plan will be accessible online in the next few weeks. After that, the City Council and Mayor Andre Dickens could see the plans as soon as September. If it gets the go light, the next steps would be to get input from the community, raise money, and finally, build.
For people who live and work in the area, the modifications on Huff Road may be a turning point—a chance to go from traffic jams and mayhem to something that feels well-planned and works for everyone.
