FAQs and Next Steps

Frequently Asked Questions About the Midtown Connector Transportation Improvement Project

Who is leading this project?
An entity called the MCP Foundation has been created as a private, non-profit organization with a small full-time staff to coordinate and lead this effort. Others, including GDOT, Georgia Tech and Midtown Alliance have provided technical support, guidance and input to the study and to ensure the project is consistent with their respective policies, goals, plans and initiatives.

What is this project?
The Midtown Connector Transportation Improvement Project (MCTIP) is a proposed public private partnership seeking to implement sustainable improvements to traffic congestion, safety, mobility & connectivity challenges while fulfilling the need for essential park, greenspace and environmental improvements that will support the economic vitality of Atlanta and Georgia.

Where did the idea for this project come from?
Reconnecting the east and west sides of the Connector has been discussed and advanced for at least four decades. As our City and region have grown, this section of the Connector has become one of the most highly congested freeway segments in Georgia, resulting in bottlenecks and high crash rates. The opportunity to address these two broad and longstanding challenges has led to this project.

What are the approximate boundaries of this project?
This project focuses on the connector between North Avenue and 10th Street, and a network of connecting streets and land uses to the east and west.

What are the project goals?
The goals of the project are multi-faceted: To improve both the operations and safety of this freeway interchange segment; restore local street connections; provide new bicycle and pedestrian facilities; establish new park greenspace and recreation opportunities that will be welcoming to all, and; to improve air, water and other natural systems.

What do you estimate this project will cost?
The concept is only half-way through the feasibility phase, which is early, but at this point this project is estimated to cost between $800M to $1.2B based on conceptual planning to date. The next phase would be detailed planning & design work which will establish costs with more certainty.

Where will the funding come from?
This project has a broad range of benefits, so it will likely include a broad mix of public and private funding sources. As the project demonstrates measurable interstate and local transportation benefits, it should also be more competitive for federal and state transportation funding. Specifics around any funding plan are being vetted and developed as part of the ongoing feasibility study. Beyond construction costs, there will also be ongoing operations and maintenance costs that will need to be addressed. While every project is unique, the MCP project team is carefully studying how other cities have successfully accomplished these types of projects and the return-on-investment that they have been able to demonstrate.

Who has funded the planning & design of the project so far?
To date, all work has been funded through private investment, with additional and substantial in-kind support.

What consulting teams have been involved?
Those involved to date include local and international firms, some of whom have been involved in similar large-scale projects. Lead firms include: Arcadis (Engineering), OLIN Partnership, Ltd. (Landscape Architecture) and Smith Dalia Architects (Architecture).

Where can I learn more? How can I get involved?
Future opportunities to engage and learn more will be announced on the website and other communication platforms. Also, you can sign up for the project mailing list on the project website or by emailing [email protected].

Next Steps: Give us your feedback and stay informed

The input of community members and local businesses is essential to shaping important decisions about the project. Now that you have reviewed the proposed project information, you can send us your feedback in four ways:

We also encourage you to join our mailing list to receive email updates as the Midtown Connector Transportation Improvement Project progresses.