Federal transportation funding will support the initial phase of a greenspace project spanning Atlanta's Downtown Connector highway. The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded $157.6 million toward constructing The Stitch, a planned 14-acre park designed to reconnect neighborhoods divided by interstate highway construction during the 1950s and 1960s.
The project carries an estimated total cost of $713 million, with the first construction phase anticipated for completion by 2029. The covered area extends three-quarters of a mile between Ted Turner Drive and Piedmont Avenue. Plans include five acres of park space, street improvements across seven downtown corridors, and enhanced access to the MARTA Civic Center station.
A second federal grant of $50 million will fund a multiuse trail connecting the Atlanta Beltline's Southside Trail to the Flint River Trail. This involves constructing 1.6 miles in East Point and one mile in Clayton County, ultimately linking to a planned 31.5-mile trail extending to Lovejoy.
Rep. Nikema Williams noted the project addresses historical inequities, saying it will "reclaim a massive part of our city from infrastructure that divided the Black neighborhoods of Buttermilk Bottoms, Bedford Pines and Sweet Auburn." A.J. Robinson, heading Central Atlanta Progress, remarked the funding transforms a "dream of the downtown Atlanta community for 20 years" into achievable reality.
Mayor Andre Dickens characterized the announcement as "monumental," indicating these investments will "unite our communities and move Atlanta forward." Both projects derive from the bipartisan infrastructure law Congress approved in 2021.
Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution