Construction closures at 10th Street and Monroe Drive in Atlanta

ATLANTA — Some Atlanta pedestrians are still learning about closures near the Beltline that are expected to begin Sunday evening.

The single lanes on 10th Street and Monroe Drive will be closed until June 14 to improve safety, according to the Atlanta Beltline.

There were numerous signs in the area, but runner Chris Driver missed them.

“I didn’t really notice. I had no idea,” Driver said.

Driver has been waiting for improvements for years. He said he lived on the Beltline and ran all the time. However, when he arrives at Monroe Drive, he proceeds with caution.

“I look at this as kind of a turning point because there’s not as much access up there,” Driver said. “It’s actually… it’s hard to see where it goes from here. There’s not a lot of clear marking. So, I hope they improve that.”

The Atlanta Beltline website explains that “key improvements include a new bike lane on 10th Street providing direct access to the Atlanta Beltline to improve connectivity and safety for trail users, an elevated crosswalk to improve safety for trail users and pedestrians, improved crossings and pedestrian signals at key intersections to ensure safer travel for all trail users, and new traffic signals at Kanuga St. NE and Monroe Dr. NE to manage traffic and improve safety.

Resident Maya Ray said the signals would be important.

“I would love to see more warning lights,” she said. “I would like to see more lights on the road letting people know that a warning is approaching or that pedestrians are nearby.”

Others who frequent the Beltline said they would like to see a bridge added to the project.

“Passing cars would be perfect, in fact it wouldn’t impede traffic at all,” Ray said. “And then we’ll have a safe place to walk.”

In the meantime, drivers should be aware of closures.

Chris hopes the completed work will create a safer bridge overall, since he was struck while riding his bike in another state.

“You could start with a light and kind of grow from there, but definitely flagging that busy intersection, but you don’t want to restrict traffic too much on that part, but yeah, have a way to properly mark it. , as you know, I guess you have to have cake and eat it too,” Driver said.

11Alive spoke with a few businesses off-camera. Second, restaurant spokespeople said they didn’t think it would have a major impact on business. However, one spokesperson said the city of Atlanta was working with them, while the other said they had no communication.

The intersection will be completely closed for 24 hours starting Sunday. To get around the blockages, you can take a detour via Kenuga Street.

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