Atlanta’s Stitch project aims to cap the Downtown Connector; design advances as funding gaps remain

A park-and-street project designed to reconnect Downtown and Midtown

The Stitch is a long-planned effort to cap a section of the I-75/I-85 Downtown Connector and create new public space and safer connections between neighborhoods split by the highway’s construction. The long-range concept envisions a roughly three-quarter-mile platform spanning between Ted Turner Drive and Piedmont Avenue, paired with transportation and street-network upgrades intended to improve walking, biking, and transit access across north Downtown.

Project partners have described the buildout as a multi-phase program that combines new greenspace over the interstate with corridor improvements on adjacent city streets. The overall vision has been framed around restoring east-west connectivity, reducing the barrier effect of the Connector, and creating new civic space in the urban core.

What is funded now: Phase 1 over the Connector from Peachtree to Courtland

Current implementation work is centered on Phase 1, which is being designed and engineered and includes a capped segment creating about five acres of park space over the Downtown Connector from Peachtree Street to Courtland Street. Plans tied to Phase 1 also include multimodal street improvements across several nearby corridors, with the intent of making the area safer and more navigable for people walking, cycling, and using transit.

Public-facing plans have described Phase 1 elements such as pathways, landscaping and gardens, plazas and shade structures, and family-oriented amenities, alongside streetscape changes along key Downtown streets that feed into the project area.

Timeline: groundbreaking targeted for 2026, with longer-term completion extending into the next decade

Project leaders have continued to identify 2026 as the target window for the start of construction on initial work, while also acknowledging that the start date may shift depending on permitting and—most critically—available funding. Planning documents and public updates indicate Phase 1 construction is expected to run for multiple years, with longer-range phases extending well beyond Phase 1’s delivery window.

Beyond the initial build, the master plan outlines additional phases that would expand capped park space and connections toward other parts of Downtown, but those later phases depend on securing substantial additional funding.

Financing: local mechanisms approved, while federal support has fluctuated

The Stitch’s progress has been shaped by a mix of local commitments and uncertainty around federal participation. In 2025, Atlanta City Council approved creation of a special services district intended to support ongoing project costs tied to administration, operations, maintenance, and programming. At the same time, backers have continued to pursue a broader funding stack to cover construction costs that extend beyond early commitments.

Recent reporting and project updates have described changes to anticipated federal funding for the first phase, increasing the pressure on local and regional partners to identify replacement dollars or re-stage construction.

Key takeaway: Phase 1 design and engineering are moving forward, but the timing and scope of early construction remain closely linked to how quickly remaining funding gaps can be closed.

• Project scope: highway cap plus street and multimodal network upgrades.
• Near-term focus: Phase 1 from Peachtree Street to Courtland Street.
• Main variable: funding availability influencing schedule and staging.