Brookhaven is planning to build a flyover pedestrian bridge from Emory University’s Executive Park to the Peachtree Creek Greenway in the next three years.
City staff and District 4 Council Member John Funny discussed the bridge at a public meeting on Monday, May 5.
Stretching across I-85 from Executive Park campus to West Druid Hills Drive, the bridge will showcase the city’s branding. On the Peachtree Creek Greenway, pedestrians will access the path by an elevator and stair plaza. The Executive Park side has an ADA-compliant ramp.
The bridge serves to “improve safety, connectivity, and access” according to the Brookhaven Comprehensive Transportation Plan, a document adopted by city council in 2020.
“The goal of the project is to create a safe walking path for pedestrians as an alternative to walking along North Druid Hills Road, especially the bridge across I-85. If anyone’s ever seen that sidewalk, it’s … not the most comfortable spot to walk along,” Brookhaven Capital Projects Manager Matt Risher said at the meeting.
With Emory’s expansion and the opening of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Arthur M. Blank Hospital, the area has experienced changes in traffic patterns and road construction. During construction, Emory aligned Tullie Drive to Children’s Healthcare’s new driveway.
When city council approved the pedestrian bridge in 2023, the budget was $17 million, which included $1.67 million in land acquisition.
Questions from one resident included how the bridge will be funded, based on a 2019 document in which Brookhaven city staff recommended “Owner/developer shall develope [sic] property to allow for a multi-use path across Interstate 85 connecting the site to West Druid Hills Road in coordination with the City of Brookhaven and/or the appropriate governing authority, including any necessary property acquisition, design, and construction. Said improvement shall be installed within 24 months of issuance of the certificate of occupancy for the four+ housing units.”
“This meeting is really to talk about the improvement, and yes, the cost is in there,” Funny said in response. “The mechanism on how it’s going to be paid for exactly is not finalized. Yes, Emory does have some numbers on the hook that we are approaching them about, so we’re not ignoring that.”
Brookhaven City Manager Christian Sigman said the pedestrian bridge will be funded through bonds, grants, and the special tax district placed on Emory University, who owns and operates Executive Park.
“I think the clear message is that the council’s position on this has been no residential tax dollars will go to this project,”Sigman said. “If you’re a homesteaded property owner, you’re not paying towards this bridge.”
Risher said the city is collaborating with multiple agencies in the area to secure grants and other funding, but it is not a federally funded project.
Brookhaven has a multimodal network of more than 78 miles of sidewalk and paths, including the Ashford Dunwoody Road multi-use path, the Briarwood Road multi-use path, and the Peachtree Creek Greenway.
A study by the Atlanta Regional Commission determined that pedestrian traffic is highest on Buford Highway between Briarwood Road and Clairmont Road, North Druid Hills Road south of I-85, the area surrounding the Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA Station, and the intersection of Ashford Dunwoody Road and Johnson Ferry Road near Cambridge Square.
Risher said the conceptual design phase is 90 percent complete. Public input is open to residents, and the final concept design is anticipated by June.
“The more feedback we have, the better project we are able to design for the community,” Risher said, adding that construction will begin in 2027 or 2028.
