The Pedestrian Update: From Perimeter CIDs to City Streets 

Have you seen the street view? Perimeter’s neighborhood is filling out more complete streets with bike paths, updated sidewalks, and extra amenities to create a safer place for pedestrians. Alongside the progress on Dunwoody’s master trail plan, Sandy Springs’ trail investments, and Brookhaven’s multimodal study, the Perimeter CIDs have a hand in updates all around the area. See if you can spot some of the latest additions from Perimeter CIDs and their city partners on your next walk.  

The Ashford Dunwoody Trail 

Construction begun: March 2024 
Estimated completion: 2028 

The path is almost complete between Hammond Drive and Perimeter Center West! It connects Perimeter Mall to nearby Crowne Plaza hotel, Ravinia office buildings, and the beautiful Ravinia Gardens in between.  

The first phase, including a two-way cycling path, a separate walking path, new pedestrian streetlights, and refreshed landscaping, will be completed in a few weeks.  

Next, the Ashford Dunwoody trail will stretch from Perimeter Mall to Dunwoody City Hall up north and Brookhaven’s Montgomery Elementary down south. By 2028, it’ll protect cycling and foot traffic from Hammond Drive to Mt. Vernon Road. 

Transform I-285/400, plus more Path400 

Construction begun: February 2017 
Estimated completion: end of 2024 

Yes, you read that right—part of the transformation was adding a path along GA 400! The Perimeter CIDs provided funding along with Georgia DOT to add a 6-foot sidewalk to the east side of Peachtree Dunwoody Road, plus a 12-foot-wide multi-use path on the west side that stretches north under the I-285 flyover ramps. Pedestrians and cyclists can now get across 285 into Dunwoody’s city limits from the Medical Center area. 

The Perimeter CIDs’ funding also went into making these paths a nice place to walk: green light poles, pedestrian plazas, illuminated street signs, and on- and off-ramp landscaping connect the newly transformed intersection to Perimeter’s uniquely maintained neighborhood.  

Hammond Drive path 

Construction begun: Spring 2023 
Estimated completion: Summer 2025 

Dunwoody’s trail master plan includes new sidewalks and bike lanes further west, along Hammond Drive. On both sides of the road, separated bike and walking paths are set a few feet back from the curb, protecting pedestrians and cyclists. The south side’s path has been laid to the west of Perimeter Center Parkway, while the north side is being pieced together between the Dunwoody MARTA station and Perimeter Mall.  

When completed, it’ll allow for walking and cycling from Peachtree Dunwoody Road to Ashford Dunwoody Road. 

Mount Vernon Road path 

Estimated completion: Summer 2025  

On the south side of Mount Vernon Road, between Barfield Road and Perimeter Center West, the Perimeter CIDs have invested almost $3 million in the City of Sandy Springs’ mile-long, multi-use path, which includes a pedestrian bridge over US-19. As part of the project, intersection updates are coming to Barfield, Crestline, and Peachtree Dunwoody Roads along Mount Vernon. The path is planned for completion in summer of 2025.  

Peachtree Dunwoody path 

Construction begins: early 2027 

In case you missed the City of Sandy Springs’ open house this summer, Peachtree Dunwoody Road is getting a 12-foot-wide multi-use trail, with a 6-foot landscaping buffer between it and the road.  

When complete, the Peachtree Dunwoody path will connect the Dunwoody and Sandy Springs MARTA stations by foot or by wheel. The Perimeter CIDs have matched Sandy Springs’ investment to add landscaping that’ll help combat heat reflection and stormwater runoff, plus plenty of room for all types of travel. 

Lake Hearn Drive side path 

Construction begins: early 2027 

Further south, the Perimeter CIDs have partnered with the City of Sandy Springs to add a 10-foot biking and walking path on the north side of Lake Hearn Drive, connecting the Peachtree Dunwoody intersection east to the Commons Office building. Sandy Springs collected public input on the design in March of this year, then took the suggestions back to the drawing board. They’ll be fine-tuning the design until 2027.  

Glenridge Road trail 

Construction begins: 2028 

Another team effort for the Perimeter CIDs and Sandy Springs, this multi-use path on the east side of Glenridge Road will connect existing sidewalks between Hammond Drive and Wellington Trace. Still in design and right-of-way study by the City of Sandy Springs, this connection will be laid in the next two to three years.

Perimeter Center East trail  

Construction begins: 2027  

Another feature of Dunwoody’s trail master plan, the Perimeter CIDs will help in placing a path on the north side of Perimeter Center East between Ashford Dunwoody Road and Perimeter World Center. This path is still under design. 

HAWK crossing on Perimeter Center West 

Construction begun: April 2024 

Completed: November 2024 

As of this week, getting from the mall to Ashford Lane or Terraces on foot will be a breeze. Pedestrians will cross Perimeter Center West protected by the new high-intensity crosswalk beacon, or HAWK crossing. Anyone who needs to cross can simply press the button, waiting for the lights to stop road traffic before crossing. Once you’re safely across, it’ll automatically signal car traffic to proceed. 

More pluses for pedestrians  

As more improvements come online in the district, our partners are adding safety features like: 

• Red crosswalks: the recently completed high-visibility crossings on Perimeter Center West, Perimeter Center Parkway NE, and Hammond Drive at the HAWK crossing. 
• Pedestrian islands: this stop gives you a little extra time to cross Ashford Dunwoody Road at Perimeter Mall’s main entrance.  
• Maintained medians: the CIDs handle upkeep on 100+ medians, including the ones on Perimeter Center Parkway and Perimeter Center West. 

In Perimeter, the connections go further than the highway to your office. More infrastructure’s being built to get people to restaurants, retail, and more hangouts from their offices or homes—and back again. The Perimeter CIDs are working hard to get the whole community around safely, no matter how you travel.