$16M grant approved for Westside Thrive infrastructure upgrades

ATLANTA - The Atlanta City Council on Monday approved an ordinance to accept a $16 million federal grant for the "Westside Thrive: Safely Linking Underserved Atlanta Communities Through Multimodal Improvements" project. The grant, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program, will fund critical upgrades to the city’s Westside infrastructure.

The project will focus on retrofitting dangerous roads, building bike and pedestrian pathways, and improving transit stops along a three-mile corridor between Westside Park and Georgia Tech. Officials say the initiative aims to enhance safety and connectivity in historically underserved communities on Atlanta’s Westside.

The total project cost includes a $6.9 million local match funded through the city’s Moving Atlanta Forward Infrastructure Program and a TSPLOST (Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax). These funds will support improvements, such as protected bike lanes and safer streets, particularly on Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard.

The Westside Thrive project was selected from a competitive pool of applications submitted nationwide to the RAISE program.

City officials hope to begin design and construction in early 2025, with completion slated for the following years.