Congresswoman Nikema Williams Presents Check to Advance Highway-Capping Park
ATLANTA – August 31, 2023 – Yesterday Congresswoman Nikema Williams presented a check for $750,000 to the Buckhead Community Improvement District (BCID) for HUB404 and described the grant as a downpayment on future federal support for the project. The park planned atop Georgia 400 will reconnect areas split by the highway, increasing the walkability of Buckhead and creating a community-driven greenspace.
“We are extremely grateful to Congresswoman Williams for her work to obtain this federal funding,” Jim Durrett, executive director of the BCID, said. “HUB404 will be transformational for Buckhead, and we greatly appreciate this significant funding that will help make it a reality.”
HUB404 is an on-structure, nine-acre park that bridges the Georgia 400 freeway. Reconnecting Atlanta’s Buckhead community through a multi-purpose public space, the design incorporates opportunities for diverse programming and uses while also providing access to the Buckhead MARTA station and PATH400, a multi-use trail in Buckhead. Envisioned as an agent of social change, the park will be a destination for the local community, commuters and visitors alike.
With the support of members of the Georgia delegation, Congresswoman Williams successfully requested funding for HUB404 to be included in the House’s annual spending bill for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
“This is a visionary and transformative project, and civic infrastructure projects like these, which build trust and connection in our communities, are often considered ‘nice to have’ rather than a vital investment,” said Anthony Rodriguez, executive director of the HUB404 Conservancy. “If we want to build unity in our communities, we must prioritize places that bring us together and create common ground. This is exactly what Congresswoman Williams has done, and we are incredibly grateful for her support of HUB404.”
Engineering of the pedestrian bridge from Lenox Road to Peachtree Road, the project’s first phase, is underway as part of BCID’s Lenox Road complete street project. Engineering for the remainder of HUB404 is set to begin next year. To learn more about the HUB404 Conservancy or to donate to its Gimme Four campaign, visit www.hub404.org.
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About HUB404 Conservancy
The HUB404 Conservancy is the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established to build private-sector support for the creation and operation of HUB404. After construction of HUB404, the Conservancy will be responsible for operations, maintenance and programming of the park. For more information about HUB404, visit www.hub404.org.
About Buckhead CID
The objective of the Buckhead Community Improvement District (BCID), working with the City of Atlanta and its community partners, is to meet the challenges resulting from Buckhead’s rapid, primarily automobile-based growth, including improving safety, traffic mobility, enhancing the pedestrian environment, creating better access to public transit, initiating intra-district transportation alternatives, encouraging better integration of land uses and improving linkages to the region’s automobile, transit and bicycle networks. For more information about the Buckhead CID, visit www.buckheadcid.org.