A run of federal funding retractions this summer has cost Atlanta projects real money, most visibly the Stitch. One major downtown project appears to have come through untouched.
The city's $30 million grant from the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All program, awarded in February 2023, remains intact, an Atlanta Department of Transportation spokesperson told Urbanize Atlanta. The official said the city is not aware of any changes to or reallocation of the awarded funds.
What the money builds
The grant, the maximum available under SS4A, funds the transformation of two downtown streets, Pryor Street and Central Avenue, into safer multimodal connections between downtown and the Beltline's Southside Trail corridor.
Those two streets run south from the Five Points area through South Downtown and toward the Southside Trail, on a corridor where the current conditions are built for through traffic rather than people walking or biking.
Where it stands
Two and a half years after the award, construction has not begun, though ATLDOT says preliminary work is underway. The city has finalized an agreement with the Federal Highway Administration for what is formally called the SS4A and Pryor Safe Streets project.
Under that agreement the work proceeds in three phases: a base phase of preliminary design and National Environmental Policy Act review at $2.4 million in federal funds; option phase one covering final design, right-of-way acquisition and utility work at $9.8 million; and option phase two, construction, supported by $17.7 million.
Why the distinction matters
The difference between this project and the Stitch is largely a matter of which federal program the money came from and how far along the agreement was when the rescissions landed. A finalized agreement with FHWA and a phased obligation structure is a sturdier position than an announced grant awaiting execution.
For South Downtown, where a $6 million Broad Street streetscape is also in the works, a $30 million rebuild of Pryor and Central would extend the same treatment several blocks further south.
Original reporting by Josh Green for Urbanize Atlanta, published August 2025.