Prince Avenue Pilot Project
Athens-Clarke County, GA
Project Summary
Since 2017, Athens-Clarke County has been working alongside Toole Design to envision and create a connected, cohesive community where people of all ages and abilities can walk and bike. Our work started with the development of the Athens in Motion (AiM) Bicycle/Pedestrian Master Plan, complete with an implementation plan addressing high priority projects. One identified project was Prince Avenue, a four-lane road that serves as a vital connection to the core of downtown through a dense commercial and residential area. We prepared schematic designs for the corridor, which were then advanced to construction documents for an on-the-ground Complete Streets pilot project. The pilot is part of a larger-scale project to increase safety and update infrastructure along Prince Avenue.
During the 90-day pilot, the existing vehicular travel lanes were repurposed to provide one vehicle lane in each direction, a center turn lane, and directional separated bike lanes. Additional safety improvements included curb extensions, protected intersections, mid-block and high-visibility crossings, conflict pavement markings at transit stops, and formalized on-street parking.
Toole Design also led multifaceted public outreach before, during, and after the pilot. We facilitated group sessions that engaged business owners and residents along the corridor. We also created an interactive online map that garnered responses from over 1,600 individuals including more than 1,800 location-based comments. Based on public input and travel behavior data, the project received unanimous approval from the County Commission for permanent installation.
The Prince Avenue Pilot Project is one of numerous bicycle and pedestrian projects sponsored by Athens-Clarke County. As each project is implemented, the community moves closer to achieving the vision established in the AiM plan.
