Exit 84 partitions with separate ramps for 17th Street at the Yellow Bridge and Techwood Drive south to 14th and 10th Streets. 01/17/04
One of the stops during the Atlanta Road Enthusiast Meet held on January 17, 2004 was the 17th Street / Yellow Bridge at Midtown Atlanta. Opened on January 5, 2004, 17th Street crosses the Yellow Bridge over 21 lanes of freeway at the Brookwood Interchange, the north end of the Downtown Connector (I-75/85). Constructed at a cost of $38 million, the 829 foot long span initially opened eastbound as the link from Exit 84 on I-85 south to Williams Street. The westbound lanes of the span were scheduled to open in Summer 2004,1 as 17th Street remained under construction from Atlantic Station to U.S. 41/SR 3 (Northside Drive).
Eastward views of the 17th Street Bridge. Beyond the span, 17th Street navigates through an S-curve between Williams Street and U.S. 19/SR 9 (Peachtree Street NW).
Wide sidewalks line both sides of the 17th Street Bridge. 17th Street extends west from the Yellow Bridge and Atlantic Station, which was still being built at the time, to U.S. 41/SR 3 (Northside Drive).
Exit ramps from I-75 and I-85 south to 14th Street converge below the 17th Street Bridge. The roadways from both routes south come together at the adjacent Brookwood Interchange.
The northbound roadway for Interstate 85 spans the HOV ramps at the Brookwood Interchange. The entrance ramp from Williams Street joins Interstate 75 northbound below the 17th Street Bridge.
The exit ramp from I-75/85 northbound to 17th Street was built directly over the Williams Street entrance ramp to I-75 north. Interstate 85 separates from I-75 at the north end of the Downtown Connector below the 17th Street Bridge with three general travel lanes.
Including HOV lanes, I-75/85 (Downtown Connector) south of the 17th Street Bridge pass below U.S. 19/SR 9 (14th Street) at Midtown Atlanta with 16 overall lanes.
The exit ramps joining I-75/85 south with 14th Street (U.S. 19/SR 9) were constructed in the grassy area between the Downtown Connector and Techwood Drive at 16th Street. Techwood Drive commences south at the right in right out (RIRO) intersection joining the ramp from I-75 at Exit 250 with 16th Street.
Sources:
- “Wearing its stripes: The new bridge will remain yellow.” Atlanta Journal-Constitution (GA), January 5, 2004.