Atlanta Receives $3.2 Million for Freeway Cap Plan

Thanks to funding from the federal omnibus bill signed at the end of 2022, Atlanta can move forward with a design and engineering plan for capping the Midtown Connector, a project years in the works that would help repair the damage caused by the freeway and reconnect surrounding neighborhoods. Josh Green explains the proposal in Urbanize Atlanta.

Green outlines the project’s history, which began. in early 2021 when the MCP Foundation first revealed their vision for “a picturesque, grandiose greenspace larger than Centennial Olympic Park built over the downtown Connector.” The proposed 25-acre park would improve pedestrian access and provide community amenities including a children’s garden, dog park, and café. According to the article, “Project backers said in September private donors had contributed nearly $100 million to the initiative. Georgia Tech, Midtown Alliance, and the Georgia Department of Transportation have all provided technical support and guidance for the project so far, according to the MCP Foundation.”

The $3.2 million allocated to the project is just over half of the $6 million requested by U.S. Congresswoman Nikema Williams and U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock, and a drop in the bucket for the estimated full cost of as much as $1.2 billion. Warnock said in a statement, “This funding will help create new mobility options and economic opportunities in the heart of our state’s capital, and I’m going to continue fighting to see this critical infrastructure project come fully to life.”