Decatur is holding a final open house/workshop on redesigning the longtime awkward intersection from Atlanta Avenue and College Avenue, crossing the railroad tracks to Howard Avenue.
City staff and consultant Landis-Evans & Partners and Atkins will explain recommendations and take comments and suggestions 4:30-7:30 p.m., Feb. 28, at the Atlanta Friends Meeting, 701 West Howard Avenue, Decatur.
No one appears to know when or why the current configuration—once described by former City Manager Peggy Merriss as a “curly X”— was constructed. But the ultimate goal is straightening the intersection, with an anticipated cost of $5 million, the money coming out of the 2017 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax.
During a Feb. 25 commission work session Deputy City Manager Hugh Saxon gave a brief overview of 11 potential concepts for the site explaining that, “some are more feasible than others.”
Three concepts included roundabouts and one was bicycle/pedestrian only crossing from College to Howard, eliminating automobiles altogether. Another extended Adair Street south across the tracks to College, another extended Olympic Place north to Howard, and yet another moved the entire intersection east towards the convenience store.
“What should come out of [Thursday’s open house/workshop] is a pretty good conceptual idea,” Saxon said. “We hope to bring [a final concept] before the commission in four to six weeks, but it will take the rest of the year to get the project designed. Then it will take a full year [probably beginning in 2020] to build it.”
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