Two years later, Juniper Street overhaul reaches new phase in Midtown

Josh Green

Tue, 07/01/2025 – 12:06

Two years after work began, a project designed to upgrade mobility across a wide swath of Midtown is entering the home stretch of construction.

One of the final steps before completion, repaving work, has begun for the Juniper Complete Street Project, largely concentrated now toward the project’s northern end between 12th and 14th streets, as Midtown Alliance officials tell Urbanize Atlanta this week. A barrier-separated bike lane is also being installed in that area.

Following a city moratorium that prohibits construction on the July 4 holiday (from noon July 3 to 9 a.m. July 7), construction of a Juniper Street bike-lane separation median is scheduled to move south, from 12th to 10th streets, next week.

Erosion work and traffic-control maintenance is continuing along the project’s full 12-block scope on Juniper Street in the meantime.

Contractors expect work on the complete-street overhaul to finish by late summer this year, barring any delays caused by weather, material shortages, concurrent work in the roadway by other contractors, or other factors, according to Midtown Alliance spokesperson Brian Carr.

Construction progress this week along Juniper Street, south of 14th Street. via Ricky McGee/@McGeeRicky7

Work on the Juniper Complete Street Project at 14th Street on June 26. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

After more than a decade of planning, fundraising, and delays, the Juniper Complete Street Project broke ground in May 2023. It was considered a 20-month job from the outset.

Demand for access to Juniper Street from other entities with priority utility, construction, or filming permits was responsible for earlier delays, requiring the project’s contractor to temporarily pause work on certain blocks, officials previously said.

Once finished, changes to Juniper Street will cover a dozen blocks, implementing a one-way, southbound cycletrack that starts at 14th Street near Colony Square and travels down to Ponce de Leon Avenue.

Vehicle lanes will be reduced to two, and dedicated parallel parking will be installed within a new buffer lane in places.

Other additions will include bioswales, LED lighting, and street furniture. The broader goal is to create a more inviting, safer corridor for multiple forms of urban mobility in a key, growing section of Midtown.

Depiction of the southbound, barrier-separated Juniper Street bike lanes, wider sidewalks, and more. Courtesy of TSW

In 2022, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens appointed a new procurement chief, and Midtown Alliance CEO and president Kevin Green has applauded the city’s revised procurement process as being more streamlined and sensible.

The complete-street overhaul will see non-drivers flowing south alongside car traffic in six to seven-foot bike lanes, protected by a system of raised planters and barriers at intersections. Trees and landscaping will be implemented as seasons and cooler weather allow, officials have said.

Early phases of construction removed and preserved historic Juniper Street trolley tracks that had been submerged through the area.

Broader view of the Juniper Street project at 14th Street last month, with the state of Dewberry Capital’s The Midtowne shown at right, more than five years after demo work began. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Project officials told Urbanize Atlanta in November the Juniper Street work remains on budget—estimated cost: $8.7 million—though the construction timeline had been extended.

One block east, a 1.1-mile system of northbound bike lanes will similarly update Piedmont Avenue, stretching from Ponce de Leon Avenue up to 15th Street at Piedmont Park. Midtown Alliance lists that project as being under construction now, too.

Below is a refresher showing sections of Midtown the Juniper Street bike lanes and other changes will cover:

Scope of the one-way, southbound cycle track. Midtown Alliance