State officials have been trying to close down the road outside the Georgia Capitol for years. It might have taken a dangerous incident to seal off the street.
Days after an Atlanta man was charged with five criminal counts outside the Gold Dome, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said in a letter to Gov. Nathan Deal that the city would temporarily restrict access on the section of Mitchell Street adjoining the Capitol.
"The city recognizes the significant pedestrian activity within the identified block during the legislative session and believe this temporary measure will create a safer environment for pedestrians by eliminating unnecessary vehicular traffic," read the letter.
The road closure only extends to April 1, through the end of the legislative session, but state officials view it as a trial run in advance of a permanent closure.
The state has sought for years to close Mitchell Street to traffic between the Capitol and the Legislative Office Building, where dozens of lawmakers and hundreds of staffers house their offices. And lawmakers have passed resolutions over the years calling for the street’s closure, floating plans to potentially turn it into a plaza.
Crossing the street can be treacherous because drivers frequently breeze by signs telling them to stop for pedestrians – and sometimes ignore security officers posted at the crosswalk. And federal security officials have also advised that the street be closed.
But despite close ties with City Hall, Deal’s administration had not been able to come to an agreement with local officials to close the city street. That changed on Feb. 15 after Charles Wyatt Brite, a 22-year-old from Atlanta, was charged with reckless driving, assault and other crimes outside the Capitol.
Authorities say Brite brandished his handgun to a security officer manning the pedestrian crosswalk, then bolted off the wrong way on a one-way street. He was later arrested after a confrontation with an FBI agent.
State legislators and Capitol staffers celebrated the news of the street closure. State Rep. Teri Anulewicz referred to a classic video game in a tweet, writing that it means “no more frogger” when crossing from her office to the Gold Dome.
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