Midtown Alliance Monthly Construction Update: October 1, 2013

Every month the good people at Midtown Alliance put together a monthly construction update for residents in the area to stay up-to-date with everything that is happening around town.  This month's update includes info on the 10th street streetscaping, as well as project completion updates such as the new 10th street bike track.  Enjoy the following and make sure to visit Midtown Alliance.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION:

Tree Well Fencing and Planting - The first phase of Midtown's Tree Well Adoption Program is well underway.  Over the next two weeks, Standard Tree Well Fencing will be installed in two partial blocks of Peachtree St. within the Midtown core:  the west side between Peachtree Place and 10th St., and the east side between 10th and 11th Streets.  Later this fall, those tree wells will be planted with beautiful low-water-use perennials.  34 tree wells have been adopted to date!

10th Streetscape - This project includes installation of new sidewalks, street trees, pedestrian lighting, landscaped medians and ADA upgrades between Williams Street and Piedmont Avenue.  Other improvements include a new signalized mid-block pedestrian crossing at the Midtown MARTA Station as well as burial of overhead power lines and poles between Peachtree and Juniper Streets.  Over the next two weeks, construction crews will complete installation of new granite curbing and mill and repave two intersections and the block between Peachtree and Juniper, followed by new crosswalks at both intersections to align with existing and newly installed ADA ramps.

Peachtree Streetscape: Southern End - This project started in May and will extend the Peachtree Streetscape "pallette" to the southern end of Midtown.  The stretch between 3rd and Pine Streets will be upgraded with new sidewalks, pavers, curbing, trees, and pedestrian lights where needed.  Select portions of overhead utility lines will also be relocated underground.  Construction crews will soon mill asphalt and repave between 3rd Street and Ponce de Leon Avenue, and new trees will be installed this winter.  

Peachtree Streetscape: Northern End – Now in its final phases, this project extends Peachtree streetscaping to the northern end of Midtown between Peachtree Circle and the I-85 Bridge.  Construction crews finished the Peachtree Street/Peachtree Circle intersection and will soon remove remaining utility poles and tackle final punch list items.

South Midtown Pedestrian and Circulation Improvements – This $4 million effort provides a wide range of improvements along North Avenue and Ponce de Leon Avenue including circulation improvements, streetscape upgrades, installation of key "gateway" features and creation of new public spaces such as Ponce Triangle near the Fox Theater.  Final phases included new colored/stamped crosswalks at Peachtree intersections with Ponce and North.  Crews recently removed overhead utility lines and associated poles at Peachtree and Ponce and will soon complete final punch list items.

Peachtree Overhead Utility Burial - After being hosted Downtown for several decades, the 33rd Annual Children's Christmas Parade will take place in Midtown for the first time this December.  In anticipation of the event, we are spearheading an effort to bury all currently-overhead utility lines crossing Peachtree Street.  Our team is currently working on crossings at 5th, 8th, 14th, and 16th Streets.

Fall Landscape Installation - Plans are underway to plant beautiful fall annuals, perennials, and replacement shrubs along streets, in medians, and in parks and plazas throughout the District.

Bicycle Racks - The first installation of Midtown's "branded" bike racks was completed in September.  Enjoy 30 new spots throughout the District to park your bike!  Ride on friends!

10th Street Cycle Track - The success of the recently-completed Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail increased the already-high demand for bicycle facilities in Midtown.  As a result, we partnered with the City of Atlanta and the PATH Foundation to implement Phase 1 of a dedicated two-way "cycle track" on 10th Street along Piedmont Park, between Monroe Drive and Charles Allen Drive.  The facility connects cyclists between Midtown's core and the BeltLine, and anticipates future cycle routes on Juniper Street and Piedmont Avenue.

10th Street Temporary Pocket Park (at 10th/Peachtree) – Through a collaboration with Dewberry Capital, we created a temporary “pocket park” corner of 10th and Peachtree Streets.  The new space includes a multi-use lawn, badminton net, seating areas, pedestrian paths, and water-wise plantings designed in partnership with the Atlanta Botanical Garden.  A second phase of exciting park improvements will occur this fall.

District-Wide Tree Replacement Program – We installed over 50 new street trees in March 2013 in conjunction with our seasonal effort to identify diseased, dying and missing street trees and replace them with new, healthy, urban-tolerant street trees throughout the entire Midtown Improvement District.  Inventory is underway in preparation for the next District-wide tree planting, scheduled between winter 2013 and early spring 2014.

Our ongoing projects help keep Midtown safe, improve accessibility and enhance our livability.  Contact us with questions or concerns about these projects and construction updates.