ATLANTA — Long-awaited work to fix up DeKalb Avenue, the critical roadway leading from Atlanta's eastside to Decatur, will begin next week.
The city put out a release this week noting that resurfacing activities on the pothole-ridden east-west artery will include milling, patching and paving.
Residents and business owners who drive down the street said it's been a rocky ride. Many community members have complained about the road for years.
"Sometimes I feel like when I’m out there with my kids (it's) like a ride at Six Flags," said Jacob Hunter, who works in the area.
Work will be done nightly starting at 7 p.m. through 5 a.m. from Sunday night to Friday morning "to minimize impact to road users." There is also some additional weekend work expected.
The Atlanta Department of Transportation has spent the last several weeks preparing by filling 70 potholes, adding turn lanes, relocating utility poles and updating infrastructure to prevent flooding.
A target for completion is sometime later this summer.
One restaurant owner in the area said he welcomes the project and is glad that he is seeing some progress.
"It’s encouraging that it’s getting done because it certainly needs it because there are potholes everywhere here," said Justin Larcomb, owner of The Daily Restaurant.
Other improvements will include bike lanes, traffic signal coordination upgrades and intersection improvements.
"Traffic flow will be maintained for the duration of the resurfacing, though intermittent lane closures may cause traffic delays," the city advises. "There may be noise or light disturbances associated with the overnight work."
Work locations include:
- DeKalb Avenue from Ridgecrest Road to Jackson Street
- DeKalb Avenue from Waddell Street to Cornelia Street
- The DeKalb Avenue/Krog Street intersection
- Krog Street from DeKalb Avenue and Edgewood Avenue.
Drivers will have to navigate around the road work and adjust to their new route.
Businesses will be impacted by the construction. Some customers might not be able to get to some shops in the evening hours.
The full DeKalb Avenue Safety Improvements plan began planning back in 2016. According to an Atlanta Department of Transportation timeline, the design was finished in August 2020, and construction started in October 2021.
The full $1.75 million project is expected to be done later this year.