DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — The City of Dunwoody and the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts (PCID) officially broke ground on the first phase of the Ashford Dunwoody Path in front of Perimeter Mall.
Phase 1 will include a two-way, raised bicycle path, a wider sidewalk, new pedestrian streetlights, and landscaping along Ashford Dunwoody Road in front of Perimeter Mall from Hammond Drive north to Perimeter Center West, where it will connect with a previously built section in front of the Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar.
The cycle track will be separated from the roadway by a wide landscape buffer. Most of the existing trees will be retained, and new oak trees will be planted to replace the oak trees that require removal for the project.
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Officials said this will bring greater pedestrian safety and walkability options along this busy corridor.
“What we create today, will be here for the future,” Dunwoody Mayor Lynn Deutsch said. “We’ve had so much traffic because of the 285/400 project, that it has made it even harder for pedestrians.”
This project is included in the City’s transportation plan and aligns with the current draft of the Dunwoody Trail Master Plan, which is being developed in partnership with the PATH Foundation.
The majority of the $1.5 million construction cost will be split halfway between the City and PCIDs.
Decorative pavers, posts, benches, and trash cans will be fully funded by PCID.
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The City’s share of the cost will be funded through hotel and motel taxes.
“Especially after COVID, people want to be out of their cars and walking,” Anne Hanlon, Executive Director of Perimeter Community Improvement District said. “People don’t want to be in traffic, so we’ve worked hard to plan out sections of trail that we can build out so people can do that.”
Future phases of the project will connect north to Mt. Vernon Road.
This stretch of the path includes another recently completed section in front of Perimeter Marketplace between Meadow Lane Road and Ashwood Parkway.
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“Our bigger goal is to connect the perimeter market with Buckhead,” Hanlon said. “With PATH 400, that will eventually connect to the beltline. Hopefully we’ll bring something to the public that everyone will enjoy.”
Phase 1 of the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.
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