The new 17th street bridge spanning the freeways in Atlanta is bright yellow - and it deserves that arresting color. The $38-million bridge represents a new commitment to bicycling and walking in a city designed almost exclusively for the car. It bridges a gulf created by the Downtown Connector, the combination of I-75 and I-85 that cuts right through the city. It links Midtown with the new Atlantic Station development, a walkable mix of homes, stores and offices built on the former site of Atlantic Steel. The development's location close to downtown, but cut off by the freeway, made the bridge an essential part of its success. The bridge carries four lanes of automobile traffic, but 65 percent of the bridge space is devoted to transit, bicycling and walking. Transit and bicycles share two lanes, while pedestrians can enjoy either a 30-foot wide sidewalk or a 22-foot wide sidewalk with a shade canopy. The project was a cooperative venture that involved local, state and federal players, including an active Citizens Advisory Group, the Midtown Alliance, the City of Atlanta, the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, the Federal Transit Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as architecture and design firms. The bridge opened in March, 2004.

(Also see http://www.atlanticstation.com/the_bridge.htm).

Create a new multi-modal connection over a major highway