Howell Mill Road Improvement Project Progresses

ATLANTA — Shevon King moved to Atlanta during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, she has seen growth on every corner, especially where she lives and works in West Midtown.

“Traffic has increased dramatically,” King said. “We’ve had a lot of new construction in recent years. But traffic has been the biggest problem. Every time I cross the street, I risk my life.”

Traffic is a real pain for King, so much so that she feels like it’s faster to walk the mile to work than to drive. Its journey could become much smoother soon after a few months of construction issues.

Work is currently underway to improve the two-and-a-half-mile Howell Mill Road corridor between Collier Road and West Marietta Street. This is part of the Howell Mill Complete Street project. The Atlanta City Council approved $21.5 million for the project in September. Work began in December.

So far, crews have repaved a portion of Howell Mill Road near Collier Road, according to a progress report released by the city Department of Transportation in May. New medians and sidewalks were also installed near the Collier Road end of Howell Mill. Crews still need to go down to West Marietta Street to repave and add new traffic signal improvements. Plans call for improving drainage and also relocating electricity, gas, cable and other utility lines.

That’s a lot to take in for Wayne, who owns a food truck called Winner’s Taste. He believes the construction will be a winning formula for attracting more business and opportunities to an already growing part of the city.

“It looks like things are getting better. The roads are getting better here,” Wayne said. “Whoever is doing the construction, it seems like it’s getting better. There’s a lot of honking around here. A lot of people are impatient, I don’t know why. It’s them, but you’ll get there eventually.”

King said the city needs to make more traffic improvements and infrastructure expansion to accommodate growth. The Howell Mill Road Complete Street project is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

“I really want to see traffic controlled a little better with signs and pedestrian walkways,” King said. “I have a car, but I avoid driving at specific times of the day just because of how difficult it is to get here. Welcome to Atlanta.”