Heath & Lineback Engineers, Inc. (H&L) was selected as the prime engineering consultant for the redesign of this vital thoroughfare in the downtown business/entertainment sector. The original viaduct was built in 1922, and by 1994 it exhibited signs of severe structural distress. The roadway layout had been modified by events over the decades so that in 1994, north of Martin Luther King Drive, the viaduct carried four traffic lanes in the northbound direction. In this configuration, it served as a main artery, carrying traffic from Interstate 20 into downtown Atlanta.

H&L was faced with a unique challenge – redesign the viaduct, demolish the structurally deficient existing structure and rebuild a portion of the viaduct – all before the opening of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games.

The story of the successful completion of the first phase of this project serves as a textbook example of how adherence to value engineering techniques can accomplish established goals despite constraints imposed by a busy city preparing to host the biggest event in its history.

H&L managed a team of five other consultants in the completion of mapping, field survey, environmental and geotechnical study, demolition, planning, and scheduling, as well as preparation of concept, preliminary and final plans.

In addition to those primary concerns, the firm faced considerable time-related challenges, as well as major maintenance of traffic constraints, and the coordination of several agencies and business concerns in the immediate vicinity of the project.