The city of Atlanta has officially broken ground on the Monroe Drive Safe Streets project, a $18.5 million safety makeover aimed at reducing crashes and improving traffic flow on Monroe Drive from 8th Street to Piedmont Circle.
Project Details
The project, which is expected to take roughly two years to complete, will convert Monroe Drive from four travel lanes to three, with one lane in each direction and a center turn lane. The improvements will also include crosswalk upgrades, enhanced intersections, and “AI signal technology” to improve traffic flow.
The project’s biggest change will be the lane reductions and added center medians, which are designed to lower driving speeds. The remaining lanes will be widened to 11 feet each to accommodate MARTA buses and truck traffic.
According to project leaders, the reconfiguration is expected to reduce crashes by 30%. However, some residents have expressed concerns about the potential impact on traffic congestion.
Background
The project was spurred by the fatal crash of 14-year-old Midtown High School freshman Alex Hyneman, who was struck and killed by a motorist while riding her bicycle on Monroe Drive in 2016. Her father, Thomas Hyneman, has since become a pedestrian and cyclist safety advocate and co-founded Atlanta Families for Safe Streets.
The city has committed to the Vision Zero systems-based approach to eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries, with the goal of reaching “Vision Zero” by 2040.
Original reporting: SaportaReport — read the source article.
