The Dirt on PATH400

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

It’s that time again – your update on PATH400 progress!

First, let’s talk about that bridge column – sure is tall, isn’t it?!? This is just one of the columns that will hold up the portion of the trail that will stay high, bridging completely over Mountain Way and landing on the top of the hill on the north side. All they need to do is add the cap (another 4 feet) and it is full height. The bridge decking will go right on top, and voila! You have a trail. Well, after they build the rest of the columns, of course. I’d say it’s pretty cool thinking of the view we are going to have of the Mountain Way Common canopy from up there!

What’s Next for Construction

Next, they will wrap up the first column and backfill it with gravel and dirt to get rid of that giant hole that was created to get the footing in there. Then there is the next column – it will be to the south of the one they are building now, so they will do the same process over again: dig a big hole, put the box in it to shore it up for safety, frame it up using a drilled footing and then begin going up one section at a time. There will be a theme of repetition since there are several of these bad boys to build.

You will also see some work on the Loridans side of things. This area is very soggy, so they are going to bring in some milled concrete to use as a base. This will prevent the equipment from getting stuck and leaving me to come up with a way to convince you all that it was supposed to be art 😊

A little fun fact: this is a great sustainability feature of the project as milled concrete is part of the “reduce reuse recycle” circle of life so we are practicing what we preach there.

Here’s the annoying part: I wish we could make all this happen without any disruption, but unfortunately that is not possible. Starting June 2nd and going no later than the end of the year, Mountain Way will be completely closed between North Ivy Road NE and the western side of the GA400 highway bridge. This closure facilitates the construction of the bridge over Mountain Way Common and ensures the safety of our workers and neighbors.

During this closure, residents on Mountain Way will be required to access their homes from the Wieuca Road entrance to Mountain Way.  Thru traffic will not be able to reach North Ivy Road and will be detoured to other local streets, including Loridans Drive. We ask that thru traffic follow posted roadway detour signage. Yes, I know some of you will be shaking your fists and cursing my name when you want to use that nice little short cut, but the good news is that it isn’t heavily used and there are other routes nearby.  I promise I will nag our team as much as possible to shorten the timeframe as much as they can!

Now for a shoutout: I would like to give a special shout out to your friends and neighbors Dan Weede, Marvin Pastel, Marianna Lee and Jane Moss who worked hard to secure a neighborhood impact grant through the City of Atlanta’s NPU-B to place another beautiful red bench in Mountain Way Common. These folks have been working on MWC for years and have made an incredible impact with their hard work and dedication. Kudos to them!

Health & Wellness Programming on PATH400

Now for some fun health and wellness activities: Yes, it’s spring and bathing suit season is fast approaching. Let’s face it – we just aren’t in shape and need all the help we can get. It’s officially time for you to lace up those running shoes (or just put on some sneakers that don’t kill your bunions) and join Livable Buckhead for our buckheadRUN! 5k race and Buckhead Village District’s Bodacious Blooms Flower festival on Saturday, April 29th. Use code CONSTRUCTIONSUCKS for a $20 discount off your 5k ticket (designed just for you as my way of apologizing again). Register here.

We’re also kicking off our annual buckheadWALKS! challenge on Saturday, April 29th, which is a free four-week walk challenge that encourages Buckhead residents and commuters to get out and get active. Participants earn points and prizes by tracking steps and participating in weekly activities. You can join as a team with your neighborhood or a Buckhead-based company, or you can participate individually on the Buckhead Community team. Have questions? Contact Miguel Nieves at

miguel@livablebuckhead.org. Click here to learn more and register.

PATH400 will be on TV!

Livable Buckhead was ecstatic when we were invited to be a part of the American Dream: Selling Atlanta tv series. From showcasing Buckhead’s newest micro-transit service to guiding Jeremy Smith on a PATH400 construction tour, we had a great time venturing through Buckhead. Catch me on CW one Saturday in May at 9:00am!