At the beginning of the year, Urbanize Atlanta readers voted the Jackson Street Bridge’s people-friendly overhaul as one of the very top “wish list items” across the city.
Unfortunately, that year was 2022.
But with an injection of new funding lined up, signs are pointing to the needed redo of Old Fourth Ward’s “selfie mecca” finally moving forward.
Liliana Bakhtiari, Atlanta City Council member (District 5), tells Urbanize her office has recently put $300,000 toward the project “to get it full financed.”
As a next step, the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District is helping with the bidding process to find a construction company that would implement changes on the bridge and nearby streets, Bakhtiari said.
The Jackson Street Bridge has emerged as one of Atlanta’s most popular destinations for wedding photos, Insta posts, The Walking Dead tourism, and anything else involving skyline photography.
Initially floated in 2014, the idea for redoing the bridge has been refined with neighborhood input over the years. In 2019, Colorado-based advocacy group PeopleForBikes awarded Atlanta a $10,000 grant to help make the miniature park—or “parklet”—happen on the bridge, all dotted with shrubs, trees, and interesting, functional seating. Three years ago, city officials said the bridge work would be finished by the end of 2021. But the project never managed to break ground.
An early concept from 2014 that articulated some ideas for improving the popular destination.Department of City Planning; Atlanta City Studio
The revised Jackson Street placemaking plan that was once expected to move forward in 2021, per city officials.Department of City Planning; Atlanta City Studio
When construction might move forward—and how long it might take before the revised bridge is finished—isn’t yet clear. We’ve submitted inquiries this week with City of Atlanta and Atlanta Department of Transportation officials but…
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