New Paths Fill in Perimeter’s Growing Trails Network
Photo: Ashford Dunwoody Path Photo
New paths and trails are on the drawing board for Perimeter’s Sandy Springs, Brookhaven, and Dunwoody communities. Soon, these paths will connect Perimeter’s office, retail, transit, and entertainment destinations gateways to the cities around it—and beyond. Here’s what’s being built in the Perimeter district now.
Sandy Springs greenlights $20.1 million for new Path400 connection
Path400, the multi-use trail starting in Buckhead, is connecting Atlanta’s intown neighborhoods to Perimeter. For the first phase of work, the cities of Sandy Springs and Atlanta are extending Path400 from Atlanta’s city limits to the GA 400/I-285 Interchange, bringing the biking and walking corridor closer to City Springs and the dining, shopping, entertainment, and hotels right in the heart of Sandy Springs. More proposed segments will connect Path400 north to Spalding Drive. Work on the Sandy Springs side will begin in fall 2024.
A path planned on Peachtree Dunwoody Road and Lake Hearn Drive will get people on foot and by bike between the Dunwoody and Medical Center MARTA stations. The proposed improvements include upgraded bicycle and pedestrian facilities as well as an extension of the SR400 Multi-Use Path project, running from the GA 400/I-285 interchange to the south end of Hammond Drive in Sandy Springs. The cities of Brookhaven and Sandy Springs are collaborating to complete the connection along Lake Hearn Drive. The cities will construct a small segment that links to the Perimeter Center Parkway bridge that crosses over I-285 into Dunwoody.
On Sandy Springs’ eastern side, there’s a corridor project along Mt. Vernon Road aimed at alleviating bottlenecks and improving mobility, plus a side path for cyclists and pedestrians. That update, plus the proposed paths along Hammond Drive and Glenridge Drive, will complete walking networks around Perimeter Mall and the Dunwoody MARTA station.
These are only a few of what the city of Sandy Springs has in the works, with the goal of reaching 31.4 miles of greenway trails, side paths and neighborhood greenways. Additional City of Sandy Springs projects that feed into Perimeter’s growing trail network can be found here.
Dunwoody’s two wheels ahead on bike infrastructure
Since the city of Dunwoody’s adoption of its trail master plan, bicycling and walking connections around Dunwoody MARTA station, Perimeter Mall, corporate HQs and top-end hotels, are filling in. This includes the recent additions of bike lanes along Hammond Drive and Perimeter Center Parkway.
Further afield, the city has plans to extend Perimeter Center East’s bike lanes to Two Bridges Park, boosting accessibility to the five-acre gathering space which features walking trails, a major playground, and splash pad that opened this summer. These lanes will eventually join an off-road trail along North Fork Nancy Creek.
Along Ashford Dunwoody Road, the city is making strong progress with the first segment of a two-way bicycle path and a wider sidewalk in front of Perimeter Mall. With the bulk of the work done, construction crews are underway with final landscaping. The next phase will carry the path up Ashford Dunwoody Road toward Mt. Vernon Road. To the south of this path, the City of Brookhaven is also eyeing a multi-use path along Ashford Dunwoody Road, ending at the Oconee Pass and linking to residential, hotel, and office destinations around Brookhaven’s Perimeter Summit.
Still on the drawing board are more east-west connections: a top-end trail extending along 285 and a path along Mt. Vernon Road, linking central Perimeter to Dunwoody village and further east.
Catch up on these and more projects in the pipeline from the City of Dunwoody here.
Exploring Connections in Brookhaven
Just below I-285, the AMLI residential project under construction in Brookhaven is working with the city of Brookhaven to improve biking and walking paths around Lake Hearn Drive. These paths will allow Brookhaven residents to reach offices and retail hubs throughout the Perimeter area—without having to hunt for parking.
Further south, Brookhaven is pursuing a major regional connection with the Peachtree Creek Greenway, which is already 1.3 miles long and getting longer! This two-way, multi-use path between Lindbergh Drive and Briarcliff Rd is planned to double its length, eventually connecting to the City of Chamblee from inner Atlanta. Along with bike and walking lanes, the trail boasts benches, lights, and bike repair stations for users.
The City of Brookhaven is also in the process of a Multimodal Study, which will be an update to its first Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Trail Plan (2016) and builds on efforts to establish its network of trails, lanes, and paths.
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