City of Atlanta Celebrates the Grand Opening of PATH Parkway at Georgia Tech

Staff Report From Metro Atlanta CEO

Thursday, December 7th, 2017

The City of Atlanta announced in partnership with the PATH Foundation, Turner, The Coca-Cola Company and Georgia Institute of Technology the grand opening of PATH Parkway at Georgia Tech. PATH Parkway represents 1.5-miles of walking and biking infrastructure separate from vehicles that connects West Midtown to Georgia Tech, The Coca-Cola Company Atlanta Office Complex and Downtown.

The new facility features safe, separated bicycle infrastructure linking the John Portman protected bike lanes, the Stone Mountain Trail, the Atlanta BeltLine Eastside trail and other essential bicycle infrastructure within the City.

“Mayor Reed set the goal to make Atlanta the most bikeable and walkable city in the Southeast,” said Dan Gordon, Chief Operating Officer for the City of Atlanta. “The completion of PATH Parkway at Georgia Tech brings us one step closer to that goal and represents the kind of connectivity that benefits a world-class city like Atlanta. I want to thank all of the organizations that have made this project a reality.”

In 2012, Mayor Reed committed to the goal of making bicycling an integral part of daily life for Atlanta residents, workers and visitors by the year 2016. This goal included creating 120 miles of bicycle lanes and trails. Today, the City of Atlanta has 114 miles of completed bicycle infrastructure with an additional eight miles under construction.  In 2016, the City of Atlanta was ranked 43 in Bicycle Magazine’s Top 50 Best Bicycle Cities.

“Our goal is to connect the people of Atlanta to the city in the most safe, convenient and fun ways,” said Tim Keane, Commissioner of the Department of City Planning.  “PATH Parkway represents how the connections we make through infrastructure enhance how people experience their community, providing them the opportunity to explore the many ways the city continues to grow.”

Since September, more than 3000 people have ridden a Relay Bike Share bike on PATH Parkway.  The City installed four bike share stations along the 1.5-mile path to complement the infrastructure and provide people better access to bikes.

In 2015, the City of Atlanta adopted Cycle Atlanta Study: Phase 1.0. This signature planning study identified 32 miles of new bicycle infrastructure within the Atlanta BeltLine limits. PATH Parkway was identified in that study, taking only two