Dunwoody celebrates important new trail connection

Construction of Phase 1 of the Winters Chapel Road shared-use path is complete.

Dunwoody City Council members celebrated the completion of the first phase of a new pedestrian and bicycle path on Winters Chapel Road with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. today. Members of Bike Walk Dunwoody, the Dunwoody Road Runners, and Dunwoody staff also joined in the celebration. The 12-foot path runs along the west side of Winters Chapel Road between Dunwoody Club Drive and Charmant Place.

 

“This new section on Winters Chapel is the city’s first path outside of the park trail system in the Brook Run/Georgetown area,” said Dunwoody Public Works Director Michael Smith. “It is a significant step toward connecting the city from east to west.”

Due to the complexities and length of the project, plus coordination with other municipalities and property owners, the original Winters Chapel trail project was divided into two phases. Phase 1 includes the following improvements:

  • Adding a 12-foot wide, concrete, path for pedestrians and cyclists, plus streetlights and landscaping
  • Adding a crosswalk and pedestrian refuge island at Congregation Beth Shalom
  • Realigning the end of Dunwoody Club Drive to intersect Winters Chapel Road at more of a right angle and adding sidewalk on the south side of Dunwoody Club Drive 
  • Adding a stormwater collection system and raising the elevation of the roadway to address poor drainage and retain rainwater runoff from the additional impervious surface

The $1.6 million cost was funded mostly through the city’s Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST). The City has been awarded federal grant funding for Phase 2, which would run from Charmant Place south to Peeler Road.