In anticipation of the FIFA World Cup coming to the city in 2026, Atlanta City Council on Monday approved $120 million in infrastructure bonds for a massive makeover to the downtown neighborhood.
The money is slated to go toward 25 miles of street resurfacing, restriping 200 intersections, installing 150 new street lights and 14 miles of sidewalk repairs including additional ADA accessibility features — all on a tight two-year timeline.
But officials also view the work as a crucial step in long-term plans to revitalize the city's center — not just prepare for visitors to flock to Atlanta's stadiums and event venues. "When we look 20 years out, one of the marks about whether Atlanta is going to be successful is whether or not tens of thousands of people call downtown home," Council member Matt Westmoreland told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I think part of that is making it a safe, well lit, walkable neighborhood, and this legislation is a really big step in that direction."
Elected officials said this is one of the largest — if not the largest — investment in downtown totaling an estimated $120 million. The biggest line items are more than $56 million for street resurfacing, more than $20 million for new or repaired sidewalks and more than $14 million for traffic signal upgrades. City Council also passed a resolution asking the transportation department to provide officials with a list of outstanding Moving Atlanta Forward and Renew Atlanta/T-SPLOST projects with information on the money spent so far and total amount estimated to finish.
A study by the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce estimates some 300,000 unique visitors will come to Atlanta for the international soccer tournament. The legislation also calls for a $750,000 mobility plan to be submitted to FIFA, and an amendment was added Monday that included safety requirements to reduce pedestrian and cyclist deaths.
Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution