New Era for Midtown: Juniper Street Complete Streets Project Nears Finish Line

Midtown is celebrating a long-awaited milestone as city leaders and the Midtown Alliance prepare to officially mark the “substantial completion” of the Juniper Street Complete Streets Project — a transformational upgrade more than 15 years in the making.

According to ATLDOT, Commissioner Solomon Caviness and Midtown Alliance President and CEO Kevin Green will recognize the achievement during a Wednesday morning ceremony in the heart of Midtown.

The reimagined Juniper Street corridor stretches 12 blocks from 14th Street down to Ponce de Leon Avenue, reshaping one of Midtown’s busiest routes into a safer, more connected, and more enjoyable experience for everyone who lives, works, or travels here.

ATLDOT notes that the new design strengthens multimodal connectivity, tying together residential buildings, local businesses, and key destinations across the district.

What’s New Along Juniper Street

While the corridor is largely complete, finishing touches — including landscape planter boxes and minor corrective work — will wrap up through early December. The project first broke ground in summer 2023 and was expected to take 20 months, though progress slowed at times due to utility conflicts, film-related road closures, and other logistical delays.

Key upgrades now in place include:

• A one-way, southbound protected cycle track from 14th Street to Ponce

• Reduced vehicle lanes to calm traffic and improve safety

• New buffered parallel parking areas

• Bioswales and enhanced landscaping

• LED street lighting

• Modern street furniture and raised planters that create a safer, more welcoming streetscape

Construction crews also uncovered and preserved historic Juniper Street trolley tracks during the early phases of work.

How We Got Here

The vision for a redesigned Juniper Street dates back to 2010, when the first concept plans were drafted. Despite initial hopes to begin construction by 2016, procurement challenges within the city stalled progress for years. Those issues were addressed in 2022 under Mayor Andre Dickens, paving the way for the project to move forward.

Today, the project remains on budget at an estimated $8.7 million, funded through a combination of transportation impact fees, federal and state grants, and Midtown Improvement District resources.

What’s Next

Just one block east, a companion project is underway along Piedmont Avenue. This 1.1-mile improvement will introduce northbound bike lanes from Ponce de Leon Avenue to 15th Street at Piedmont Park, further enhancing Midtown’s growing network of safer, more intuitive mobility options.

Together, these corridor upgrades reflect Midtown’s ongoing commitment to creating a neighborhood that is walkable, bike-friendly, and welcoming — a place where residents, commuters, and visitors can easily move through the city in a way that feels connected and human-scaled.