The DIRT on PATH400

Denise Starling, executive director of Livable Buckhead, gives us the dirt on PATH400 progress.

Hey all of you PATH400 fans! I know it has been a while since you have heard from me, but I promise you it was worth the wait because I am back with a $12.5M announcement, the next phase of construction, from Wieuca to Loridans, is about to get underway!

We ceremonially broke ground in mid-November and celebrated with our elected officials and key community leaders and neighbors. A photo op with Mayor Dickens never disappoints, but we took it a step further by adding an enormous excavator as a show-stopping backdrop. It was a great kick-off for what promises to be one of the most exciting PATH400 sections yet

(L to R) Mary Norwood – Atlanta City Council, Davis Braun – Boy Scout, Maj. Ailen Mitchell – Atlanta Police Department Zone 2 Commander, Howard Shook – Atlanta City Council, Bob Stoner – Livable Buckhead Chair, Andre Dickens – Atlanta Mayor, Denise Starling – Livable Buckhead Executive Director, Borden Polk – Georgia Dept. of Transportation, Greta deMayo – PATH Foundation Executive Director, Mary Causey – Atlanta Dept. of Transportation, Justin Cutler – Atlanta Parks and Recreation Commissioner

Now let’s talk about what this is going to look like.

Click photo to open PDF

This is a big section, three quarters of a mile, with a lot of challenging topography. It is complicated construction that is going to take a while to get done, an estimated 22 months assuming the weather cooperates… and you all know how much Mother Nature just “loves” me!

Soon you are going to begin to see some things going on. It will begin with the installation of erosion control measures. Orange barrier fences will also be placed along the limits of our area of disturbance, so you can be assured that nothing goes beyond and the creek is fully protected.

• In late January/early February, clearing activities will begin. I’m not going to sugarcoat it – this is when the trees come down. It will be a little shocking, but rest assured, we will plant a bunch of new ones when construction is finished.
• Beginning in mid-February, rough grading will be underway and the trail will begin to take shape. This part is pretty fun and involves the big equipment. Don’t worry – we will be working primarily during regular work hours and during the week. There may be some Saturday work, but probably not on a regular basis, so the noise disturbance shouldn’t be too bad.
• Around June the bridge over Mountain Way will begin – and this is a big deal. All by itself this will take 14 months to build, and CW Matthews will be brought in to do it.
• Once the bridge is done in 2024, the crews will work to build the trail out from the middle, moving northward to Loridans and southward to Wieuca at the same time.

Here are some things to know:

• The Team – We have a top-notch team handling everything on this section.
  • Livable Buckhead spearheads the project and oversees all aspects
  • Heath & Lineback Engineers along with Perez Planning and Design is the design team
  • PATH Foundation is leading construction management and providing local funding on other sections of the project
  • City of Atlanta is contributing the local matching funds through your TSPLOST tax dollars and handling the local contracting
  • GDOT is providing federal funding and ultimately overseeing technical aspects of the project
  • ASTRA is our prime contractor who will turn all of our plans into reality
• Park Access – At times we will have to limit pedestrian access to Mountain Way Common. We know this totally stinks so we are going to try to keep some access to it, but we are going to err on the side of safety. We will keep you informed about specifics as the time gets closer, but we wanted to prepare you for the likelihood that it will be fully closed for an extended period once work begins on the bridge.
• Roadway Access – We are going to limit vehicular access to Mountain Drive between North Ivy and GA 400 and it is likely that we will have to close it completely for an extended period of time. Again, we promise to keep you informed about restrictions and closures as the details are worked out.
• Contact: Who to contact when you have questions/concerns: Denise Starling denise@livablebuckhead.org or 404-842-2682

We’re excited to get to work on this next section. Stay tuned for more updates as we get started and please don’t hesitate to get in touch with any questions or concerns!