Fixing our Bill Kennedy Way Problem

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The Glenwood Park and Reynoldstown neighborhoods have seen rounds of change in the past couple of decades. The community has changed from a sleepy industrial powerhouse to a thriving mixed-use neighborhood. Unfortunately, I-20 piercing through the middle with it’s over-built and unorthodox interchanges are a dangerous stain on what’s otherwise a great place to be.

There have been a series of dangerous crashes where cars have flown off the Bill Kennedy Way ramp and in one case directly into the house that sits opposite the ramp. To compound matters, Bill Kennedy Way also carries the Eastside Atlanta Beltline.

Long term, this ramp has no place feeding into a residential neighborhood in it’s current form. Other than just flat out closing it, there are some short-term and long-term solutions to enhance safety while still providing access to the shopping district.

Current Setup

• Two I-20 East exits to Boulevard and a slip exit to Bill Kennedy Way
• I-20 East entrance ramp East of Boulevard
• One I-20 West exit to Boulevard with a U-Turn to loop back to Bill Kennedy Way
• Two I-20 West entrance ramps from Boulevard and a slip ramp from Bill Kennedy Way

My view on the problems

• OVERBUILT! None of these ramps carry very much traffic outside of rush hour and the surplus of lanes cause high speeds
• Non-intuitive: the U-Turn, slip ramps, and half diamonds may cause confusion
• No deflection or curves cause high speeds
• Signage: The signage and overall atmosphere feel like a highway-to-highway ramp setup

To GDOT’s credit, new signal heads, warning signs, and striping were recently added but there are some more easy fixes that can be implemented ASAP.

Short Term Improvements

• Close the slip lanes and route Bill Kennedy Way traffic through the Boulevard interchange
  • WHY: This will create a more natural feeling interchange, reduce weaving, reduce speeds, and reduce confusion from cars flying off the interstate and directly up to Bill Kennedy Way.
  • This could be done with just restriping.
• Add deflection by way of chicanes on the Bill Kennedy Way off-ramp
  • WHY: Again, slows cars down by introducing curvature into the ramp
  • This could be done with restriping by eliminating the 2nd lane until about 200′ before the signal which should be enough queuing space during the majority of the day
• Add transverse rumble strips
  • WHY: They get your attention
• Add an entrance to the Kroger plaza off of the Bill Kennedy Way off-ramp
  • WHY: Less traffic using Bill Kennedy Way

Long Term

• New Pearl St extension under I-20 with reconfigured ramps
  • WHY: Enhance access between Reynoldstown and Glenwood Park, partially restores the historic grid structure of the neighborhood, removes the direct highway on/off-ramp from Bill Kennedy Way.

• Redevelopment of industrial parcels for infill and grid system
  • WHY: This is a mobility rich neighborhood with access to the Beltline, shopping, dining, and multiple bike and transit corridors
  • NOTE: I do not own, control, have actual say, etc over any of the proposed redeveloped parcels. This is just an idea and just a sketch.
• Mini-cap over the Bill Kennedy Way bridge
  • WHY: This area deserves a place to gather, hang out, linger and enjoy without being squeezed above 70 MPH traffic. It can also serve as a neighborhood focal point connecting some of the most car-lite neighborhoods in the City.

While it would be years (let’s face it, decades) to implement these long-term changes – it’s fun to dream and envision a safer, more complete neighborhood.

Phil Veasley is a Professional Engineer working with Toole Design Group to design safer multimodal infrastructure in cities throughout the US.

My goal is to create cities that are safe and effective for all people to move about outside of cars. To achieve that we have to focus on creating equitable, dense, and vibrant cities full of walkable neighborhoods with a various mix of housing choices, schools, restaurants, and services. We cannot have safe multimodal infrastructure without the density to support it and we cannot have equitable density without safe multimodal infrastructure. Outside of designing safe streets, my passions are sketching ideas for infill neighborhoods, floor plans, urban photography, and exploring our cities on foot or bike. Please check out the menus above for all of my ideas and also check out my YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter accounts.

Opinions and insights are my own and are not representative of my employer or any organization.