Peachtree Parkway Pedestrian Bridge

City of Peachtree Corners, Georgia

The Peachtree Parkway Pedestrian Bridge is a 190-foot-long truss arch that crosses over S.R. 141 (Peachtree Parkway), a four-lane highway with an average daily traffic of nearly 40,000 vehicles. The roadway links the suburbs with downtown Atlanta and connects the Forum, an existing shopping mall, with the Town Center, a new site that includes shopping, recreation, dining and residential space. Additionally, the location houses an amphitheater and green space. This pedestrian bridge serves not only as a connectivity point between the two developments but as a landmark and gateway to Peachtree Corners.

Michael Baker provided design services, including project management, architecture, roadway/sidewalk modification, structural design, permit preparation, meeting coordination, bidding assistance and utility coordination. We prepared preliminary and final construction plans to include profiles, earthwork cross sections, drainage profiles, utility and erosion control plans, architectural details, bridge plans, wall plans, stair details and sections and rendering views.

The pedestrian structure itself is a destination. There are pedestrian overlook plazas that serve as observation decks on each side of the bridge, with stairs and elevators conveying pedestrians from the bridge to the street level. The plazas also are active meeting and resting places for walkers and shoppers. Because the retail area experiences a significant volume of foot traffic, improving safety was a top priority on the project. This Michael Baker project provides safe access between the two retail developments across the highway and creates a sense of place for this newly incorporated community.

The project successfully met the City of Peachtree Corners’ need to provide a means for pedestrians to move safely from the Town Center to the Forum, bringing improved functionality and innovation to a growing city with a desire to enhance its sense of community.