Critical changes on the way for dangerous Midtown Atlanta 10th Street Bridge

ATLANTA - Big improvements are on the way to Midtown Atlanta’s 10th Street Bridge.

It’s notorious among pedestrians and bicyclists who have to be very careful of cars coming on and off the highway. 

"There’s been a lot of times where I’ve been almost hit trying to cross," said Cooper Voigt, who lives in the Home Park neighborhood and uses a bike to get around.

He said this area of midtown especially spells danger, with cars flying on and off the connector ramps.

"Whether it’s a car jockeying for position in traffic trying to get on the interstate or just not paying attention," he said.

Now, the bridge is being redesigned to become more people-friendly.

"It’s a really important connecting point for the core of midtown," said Kevin Green, the director of the nonprofit Midtown Alliance. "The bridge carries in excess of 35,000 people a day and it kind of functions right now like an interstate on an off-ramp."

The $20 million project will add protected bike lanes to the bridge, featuring buffers between humans and automobiles.

Midtown 10th Street Bridge

"There’s targeted signal improvements that will actually give pedestrians and cyclists their own signal to get through the traffic," Green said. "There’s upgraded fencing and lighting."

The Midtown Alliance, the city, and a grant from the Federal Highway Administration will cover the costs of the project.

"It’s what Atlanta needs," Voigt said. "We have this huge traffic problem where traveling with the car is really aggravating and an inefficient way to get around."

This is different from plans to cover the Downtown Connector with a park called "The Stitch."

That would be further south – and a long time to come.

But it’s all part of a broader effort to make Atlanta more walkable and connected.

Since 2018, there have been 49 new buildings erected in midtown alone, according to the Midtown Alliance.

There are 21 more either under construction or in the planning phase, the organization said.

City officials say this project will take 20 months.

They’re waiting for some final approvals before the work starts.

They expect work to wrap up in early 2026, in time for the World Cup.