Decatur, GA — Pedestrians and bicyclists can take advantage of new protected bike lanes and sidewalks on Church Street and Commerce Drive in Decatur.

The Church Street cycle track project is essentially completed, aside from a few punch list items, Capital Projects Manager Hugh Saxon said. The remaining tasks were expected to be completed by the end of June.

The city will be milling, repaving and resurfacing Church Street and a portion of Commerce Drive, which will take about six to eight weeks to complete once the construction begins.

But the work is complete on the protected bike lanes and all the changes to the roadways have been made.

The cycle track project includes intersection improvements at Clairemont Avenue and Commerce Drive, as well as Church Street and Commerce Drive to reduce crossing distances and remove vehicle slip lanes. Church Street has been permanently reduced to two lanes, wider sidewalks have been added, and a one-way cycle track, also known as a protected bike lane, has been added on each side of Commerce Drive and Church Street. New trees have been planted along Church Street as well.

A substantial amount of stormwater infrastructure was also installed at the intersection of Clairemont Avenue and Commerce Drive. On-street parking on Church Street was removed as part of the project.

“Most of the on-street parking will be removed when the cycle track is built on Church Street,” Saxon previously said. “There will be [three to four] permanent spaces located right at Glenlake Pool and about 10 permanent spaces just south of Geneva Street, but the cycle track generally will take up the area now used for on-street parking.”

The bike and pedestrian improvements on Church Street complete the final segment of dedicated bike travel lanes from the PATH Stone Mountain trail.

Throughout the project, the city has looked carefully at the condition of Church Street.

“Church Street has not been resurfaced since it was originally built,” Saxon said. “It was widened from a two-lane to a four-lane street about 40 years ago. Now, we’re narrowing it back down to two lanes. It has not been repaved in that period, and it is in very poor condition. There are a lot of cracks. Our engineering staff thinks it’s at the end of its service life.”

He added that the repaving work has to be approved by the Georgia Department of Transportation, who is funding the majority of the project.

Saxon said this will be a significant and long-lasting improvement to the road.

“The alternative would be minor repairs and resurfacing, and the cracks start showing up again in a year. This is about a 20-year life on a repair like we’re proposing,” Saxon said.

Commerce Drive, between Clairemont and Church, will be five lanes once the milling, repaving and striping is complete. The lanes will be narrowed from about 13 feet to 10 feet as the cycle track has been added on both sides of the street.

Southbound on Clairemont Avenue, the two left turn lanes will remain and there will be a right turn lane, although it is no longer a slip lane. One left lane is currently closed and will be reopened once Commerce Drive is repaved.

“It becomes a shorter distance. You don’t have to cross the slip lane to cross the street,” Saxon said. “This will require a stop.”

The Decatur City Commission approved the project plans in May 2021. But the project began about 11 years ago. The city went through various rounds of funding options with the Georgia Department of Transportation. When the city had the plans completed a few years ago, it took them the remaining time to obtain all the necessary construction easements, Saxon said at the May 3, 2021, city commission meeting.

Lewallen Construction Company is the general contractor for the over $4 million project and has built the Commerce Drive segment connecting Clairemont with Church. Most of the funding is from grants through the Atlanta Regional Commission and the Georgia Department of Transportation.

“Our community transportation plan focuses on active transportation, which is providing transportation facilities like cycle tracks and sidewalks that allow people to get around Decatur without using their car,” Saxon said.

 

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