The Dirt on PATH400

Denise Starling, executive director of Livable Buckhead, gives us the dirt on PATH400 progress.

Wow – for those of you who didn’t join us on the tour last weekend, you missed out!  I think some of Santa’s elves escaped the workshop and came to Buckhead over the holiday. Who knew they had such mad construction skills?! They’ve upped their game from the Lincoln logs days that’s for sure!

I know I told you I was going to take a break over the holidays, and I mostly did that, but I couldn’t stay away from my beloved PATH400. I, of course, invited (errr, forced) my husband and son to enjoy a little family bonding time with a walk along the construction site.

(dirty little secret time: my camera has more pictures of PATH400 than it does my dog or even my only child ☹) 

Luckily for them, our walk was amazing! Not only was it the first time I walked all the way from Mountain Way Common to Wieuca Road (I may have actually been skipping, but that is beside the point), it was also the first time I had seen where the “main line” and “exit ramp” trail sections diverge and cross over each other under the highway! The walls are up, and you can finally see what I have been trying unsuccessfully to describe to those of you who have come on the trail tours – my shadow puppet hand gestures!

We have also almost completely flattened out what used to be my “queen of the hill” mountain that sits right next to a valley to create a slow, gentle grade. So, don’t worry, you can now feel totally comfortable bringing Grandma out there!

Please note the dang pole in the picture below – it didn’t exist when we designed the trail so we had to go back and redesign to swing the trail around it. GRRRRRR… My new nemesis.

(a personal request from yours truly: follow us on social media and send us your photos of PATH400 to be featured!)

Nerd Stuff

Now let’s get into the real stuff. Today’s ultra sexy topic that I am going to woo you with is… wait for it… stormwater. Doesn’t thinking about that just make your socks roll up and down? Well, if it doesn’t, it really should because stormwater is a big deal in Buckhead.

Did you know that Buckhead sits right on the ridgeline between two major watersheds? Water on the east side of Peachtree Road goes to the Atlantic, while water on the west side of Peachtree Road heads to the Gulf. (Look at that – another juicy tidbit to share at your next cocktail party). And everything in the middle gets flooded if you aren’t really paying attention.

This section of PATH400 sits just shy of the ridgeline and has some massive topographical changes. We had to make sure we gave the water somewhere to go so it didn’t undermine all of those gorgeous walls we put in. The moral of the story is that it may look like we are just building a trail, but we are also helping to improve water infrastructure, such as handling the water that drains off the MARTA rail line above us. Below are some photos of different intakes, drains and manholes that we have installed as part of the project.

Road Closure Update

You have all been asking when we are going to reopen Mountain Drive and I, in turn, have been the spur in our contractor’s saddle trying to get an answer. Here’s the deal – there has been a major delay in receiving the steel for our bridge spans, and without the spans, we cannot begin the next stages of overhead work. Honestly, I’m clueless about how long this delay will drag on. Even my trusty 8-ball is saying “ask again later.” So, starting Tuesday, January 30th we are going to temporarily open the road back up.

The delay on the steel could be a month, maybe even two – I really can’t predict it. What I do know is that once the steel arrives, we’ll close the road again for everyone’s safety. In the meantime, enjoy your access! I will give you as much notice as possible before we resume overhead work and shut the road back down again. Once we restart, it will be another three months of closure.

Loridans to Sandy Springs

If this section wasn’t enough to talk about, we are actively moving into next steps on the phase to city limits! The City of Atlanta has advertised this section for contractors to bid on. Bids are due on Valentine’s Day, so we will know then who our next construction sweetheart is going to be. (Cross your fingers that the proposals don’t blow the budget like they did on this section.) From there, contracts are established, and we mobilize for construction. My best guess is that we are looking at an early summer groundbreaking! (And now she realizes this is right when she has a major vacation scheduled 🙃).

Whatever are we going to do to top our obnoxious ground breaking from last time… any ideas?

Upcoming Construction Tour 

Saturday, February 24th

12 p.m. – 2 p.m.

This is an active construction site, so you are required to wear closed toe shoes (preferably boots), preferably long pants, a hard hat (to be provided), be physically able to do some climbing, and sign a waiver before the tour begins. Space is limited to 20 people.

Don’t worry, there will be even more to see on next month’s tour! Click here to register.

Raising the Rails

When designing the new stretch of PATH400 over Mountain Way Common, we knew that a trail 80 feet above ground needed something higher than the standard 42-inch cable rails — and we planned for that by raising them to 48 inches. But as the saying goes, seeing is believing – and now that we see just how high the bridge will be, we realize that the rails need to be higher too. Installing 54-inch railings with wire mesh to provide maximum safety is the right thing to do, but it comes at a cost — $100,000, to be precise. With a generous matching gift of $50,000, Livable Buckhead is launching Raising the Rails, a campaign to raise $100,000 to make sure everyone who walks, bikes, or skips this 450-foot stretch of PATH400 feels comfortable.

PATH400 is the crown jewel of Buckhead. It connects one part of the community to another. It connects our community to other parts of the city. And it makes our community a desirable place to live. One neighbor refuses to downsize because he doesn’t want to give up his proximity to PATH400! Supporting Livable Buckhead in its efforts to make PATH400 even better will make our neighborhood even better, and why wouldn’t you want to do that?

Donate today!