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Buckhead receives $10M federal grant for elevated pedestrian bridge
By Dyana Bagby
The Buckhead Community
Improvement District (BCID) has been
awarded a $10 million federal grant for
an elevated pedestrian and bicycle bridge
across Lenox Road where it intersects GA
400.
The work is part of the Lenox Road
Complete Safe Street project which will
create a 1.25-mile pedestrian-friendly
corridor between the Lenox MARTA
station and Piedmont Road.
The grant is from the U.S.
Department of Transportation’s Safe
Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant
program.
“We are very grateful to the U.S.
Department ofTransportation and the
Georgia congressional delegation for their
support,” said Jim Durrett, executive
director of BCID and president of the
Buckhead Coalition. “The Safe Streets
and Roads for All funding is essential to
help us transform this section of Lenox
Road and provide safe, easy access for
pedestrians and cyclists to reach the
Buckhead and Lenox MARTA stations
and many other locations in the Buckhead
>5
core.
Lenox Road Complete Safe Street
Section III, an approximately $40 million
project, will improve connectivity and
pedestrian safety by adding a shared-use
bridge for bicycles and pedestrians along
the south side of Lenox Road.
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The bridge will connect to PATH400
and also serve as a gateway to the planned
highway-capping park, HUB404, giving
people on foot and bike easy access
to points of interest throughout the
community.
“The Lenox Road Complete Safe Street
project is an exciting step forward in the
CID’s ongoing work to create a more
connected Buckhead,” said Thad Ellis,
chairman of BCID. “Making a major
highway intersection safe and accessible
for pedestrians and cyclists is no small
task, and we are thankful to the partners
who are helping us meet the challenge.”
BCID is partnering with the City
of Atlanta and Georgia Department of
Transportation to construct the 0.62-mile
shared-use path and elevated pedestrian
and bicycle bridge for Lenox Road
Complete Safe Street Section III.
The Atlanta City Council voted at its
Sept. 3 meeting to approve a $415,000
donation to HUB404 Conservancy,
the nonprofit fundraising organization
working with BCID. The funding is for
the development of bike and pedestrian
bridges as part of the Lenox Road Safe
Street project.
Funding for FFUB404 is expected
to come from private and public funds,
including state, local and federal sources.
Last year, the project received $750,000 in
federal funding.
Engineering design is projected to
be completed by August 2025 with
construction estimated to begin following
public bidding in October 2025. BCID
and GDOT anticipate project completion
by January 2028.
City gets big credit rating boost
By Collin Kelley
Credit rating agency Fitch has upgraded
the City of Atlanta’s rating to an all-time
high.
According to a press release, Fitch
upgraded the city’s Issuer Default Rating
(IDR) from AA+ to AAA. This is the highest
Fitch credit rating in the city’s history.
Combined with a Moody’s bond
rating of Aal, Atlanta has become “even
more attractive to businesses, potential
homebuyers, students, and event organizers
due to its sound fiscal management,
diversified local economy and forward-
thinking government,” the release said.
“Under the leadership of Chief Financial
Officer Mohamed Balia, the Department of
Finance has taken this mission to the next
level and accomplished something we should
all be proud of,” Mayor Andre Dickens
said in a statement. “These ratings reflect
responsible, sound fiscal management and
confidence in how we do business in this city.
Thanks to the hard work of the DOF and
so many others, the City is in the strongest
fiscal position in its history, and we will
continue to make sure we plan our finances
with resilience in mind and an eye on the
future.”
Strong credit ratings confirm that the
city’s financial obligations are of high quality
and are subject to low risk, allowing Atlanta
to issue bonds at relatively lower interest
rates, the release said.
“We are thrilled that Fitch Ratings
has upgraded the City of Atlanta to AAA,
recognizing our strong fiscal foundation
and long-term resilience. This achievement
reflects our commitment to prudent financial
management and the hard work of our
finance team and city leadership, positioning
Atlanta to invest in infrastructure, enhance
services, and support growth for all
residents,” City of Atlanta Chief Financial
Officer Mohamed M. Balia said in a
statement.
In related news, Fitch also upgraded
MARTA’s bond rating from AA to AA+.
“This second rating increase in as many
review cycles reflects MARTA’s financial
stability and strong long-term revenue
growth outlook,” said MARTA General
Manager and CEO Collie Greenwood said
in a statement. “Bottom line, MARTA
remains a good steward of taxpayer money
and is well-positioned to increase our
competitiveness for federal funding and meet
the expansion commitments made to our
jurisdictional partners.”
8 | OCTOBER 2024
ROUGHDRAFTATLANTA.COM
