Futuristic Pedestrian Bridge Opens Near Atlanta; Albany Road Bridge to Be Replaced in July

A futuristic pedestrian bridge, the Global Gateway Connector, has opened in College Park, Ga., linking downtown with the Convention Center. Meanwhile, Albany's Oglethorpe Blvd bridge will close in July for a $33M replacement project by GDOT due to potential safety concerns.

Wed June 25, 2025 - Southeast Edition
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The City of College Park, Ga., southwest of downtown Atlanta, now counts a can't-miss, sculptural piece of people-friendly infrastructure that links two popular destinations and helps keep pedestrians and cyclists out of vehicle traffic.

Spanning 200 ft. across the four-lane Camp Creek Parkway, the Global Gateway Connector Bridge opened June 17, 2025, as a link between downtown College Park and the Georgia International Convention Center — a key part of a broader multi-use trail initiative in the area.

According to STV, an engineering firm with 60 offices across North America and the designers of the suspension bridge, the span is punctuated by an 80-ft.-tall steel basket-handle arch that required five cranes to lift and install in September 2024.

Urbanize Atlanta also noted other components, including dramatic lighting at night, a suspended deck and custom fence detailing and architectural rails.

The bridge project, situated a few hundred feet from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, cost $13.7 million, including work on support walls and improvements to nearby multi-use trails, according to STV.

Despite inflation, the project's cost was still less than half of downtown Atlanta's controversial serpentine bridge structure deluxe, Urbanize Atlanta reported June 19, 2025.

STV officials joined College Park dignitaries in opening the Gateway bridge.

As a subconsultant to Prime Engineering, STV served as the bridge engineer-of-record, providing complete structural design, construction documents and construction administration services for the bridge and mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) approach ramp walls supporting the access ramps.

The project's connecting, 1.08-mi. trail begins downtown at the intersection of John Wesley Avenue and West Main Street before heading toward the convention center.

The 10-ft.-wide connector pathway was designed to optimize bicyclist and pedestrian safety — essentially making it a Camp Creek Parkway bypass for people not in cars — while providing access to schools, markets and medical clinics in the area.

It also serves to connect College Park's downtown MARTA transit station to the convention center and, in theory, the long-planned Six West development, a massive proposal spanning more than 300 acres that has been likened to a southside version of Atlantic Station, a neighborhood north of Midtown Atlanta.

The Atlanta Regional Commission covered more than 80 percent of the Gateway project's design and construction costs, with the remainder paid for via TSPLOST and College Park's general fund, project officials previously told Urbanize Atlanta.

Josh Stamm, a STV senior engineer, said in a prepared statement the complex design and installation of the Gateway resulted in "both a visual landmark for the City of College Park and a crucial infrastructure upgrade" that now provides a "seamless pedestrian link."

Oglethorpe Boulevard Bridge to Close in July for $33M Replacement

The suspense of when the Oglethorpe Boulevard corridor between east and west Albany, Ga. will be severed is over with the scheduled July 22, 2025, closing of the roadway's Flint River bridge for roughly a year so as to replace the structure.

The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) informed Albany municipal officials June 23, 2025, of the planned closure date for the structure, interim Director of Engineering Robert Griffin told the Albany Herald.

The notification moves up the estimated time to begin the $33 million bridge demolition and replacement project from mid-August.

In the week prior to the announcement, fluorescent striped barrels were lined along the bridge and "Road Closed" signs were visible. Griffin said that was related to preparations for starting work at the site, including the rerouting of utilities. Motorists will soon see signs notifying them of the approaching closure.

"It's just in preparation of getting material and equipment and utilities taken care of," he said. "You should probably start seeing the message boards go up."

Once the bridge is closed, the prime contractor, Southern Concrete Construction Co. Inc. in Macon, has up to a year to have the new bridge passable for traffic, Griffin said.

The road corridor and bridge carries traffic from not only Oglethorpe Boulevard, but also U.S Highway Business and Ga. 520 Business across the Flint River.

Macon residents also are being notified of detour plans for various destinations.

While the Broad Avenue bridge — just one block to the north of Oglethorpe Boulevard — is an option, it may lead to some congestion in the early morning and afternoon as motorists travelling to and from work cross the bridge.

"Albany swells during the day because of people who come into the city," Griffin told the Albany news source. "You can expect [delays at Broad Avenue] to happen, say, between 7:30 and 8 a.m. and then from 5:30 to 6 p.m. as people try to get home."

GDOT said that the Oglethorpe Boulevard bridge was originally built in 1953, and its design was based on vehicles that are not as heavy as those driven today.

The state agency also noted that the structure has an unknown foundation that could be at risk for scour, which is erosion of soil and sediment caused by the flow of water that can undermine the foundation.

Once the new bridge is open, it will improve pedestrian and cycling accessibility across the river with a sidewalk on the north side and a 12-ft.-wide shared-use path on the south side. In addition, the structure will have four 12-ft.-wide travel lanes.

Per its contract with GDOT, Southern Concrete is permitted to close the bridge for 365 calendar days to perform the work, meaning it is tentatively scheduled to reopen July 22, 2026.