Why are there so many damn potholes on DeKalb Avenue? 2/34
Jump to… You asked, we answered: 34 things you probably don’t know about Atlanta Is Atlanta even enforcing electric scooter laws? Why are there so many damn potholes on DeKalb Avenue? Why is Underground Atlanta underground? What’s the most expensive meal in Atlanta? What does Atlanta do with my garbage and recycling? Did Clermont Lounge’s Blondie really publish a book of poetry? Why is there only one Bojangles’ ITP and a million immediately outside it? How many different cities has Hollywood turned Fairlie-Poplar into? Where did “Hotlanta” come from and why does it refuse to die? Why can’t Decatur get a Trader Joe’s? What animals have gotten loose on Atlanta highways? How many cold cases does the Atlanta Police Department have on file? Whatever happened to Baby Doe’s? How did each Kroger get its nickname? What goes into protecting the Coca-Cola formula? Why does it seem like there are suddenly more homeless people downtown? How much longer can Atlanta be a City in the Forest? Who’s the more successful movie producer: Will Packer or Tyler Perry? Why can private businesses hire cops to direct traffic on busy streets? Why does downtown Atlanta have overhead gerbil tunnels between buildings? Why do street names change at Ponce? How long could Atlanta survive in a disaster? When was Atlanta’s worst snowstorm? What happened to the giant ants at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport? Who the hell is Sloppy Floyd? What’s the fastest speed ever recorded on Ga. 400? I was in an accident on a highway with cameras. Why can’t I get footage? Who owns that tower with the torch next to the Connector? Who killed Ryan Gravel’s hopes and dreams for the BeltLine? How much can an Atlanta stripper make on a great night? Where are the best places in Atlanta to spot celebrities? Does anyone actually like the Varsity? Could commuter rail ever be installed on the train tracks that already run through Cobb County? Why is it so hard to buy a starter home in the city?
Photograph by Martha Williams
In Cambodia, there’s a road near the ruins of Angkor Wat that for years was considered one of the world’s most comically potholed; cars were routinely outfitted with jerry-rigged, shock-absorbent suspension systems. The difference between that road and DeKalb Avenue? Cambodia officials actually repaired it. Why does DeKalb continue to make life miserable for commuters and bicyclists? Obvious culprits include the 19,000 cars and tractor trailers that use the road daily rather than the adjacent MARTA line, poor drainage that degrades asphalt, the fact that the thoroughfare connecting Atlanta to Decatur dates back to at least the 1870s, the seemingly endless water line repair work necessary beneath it, and the confusion that stems from multiple city departments being responsible for filling potholes. But there is a sliver of hope. Nearly 20 years after then-mayor Shirley Franklin formed her “pothole posse,” Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has made fixing potholes a priority—her administration claims it’s filled more than 9,000 since October 2018. And next year, thanks to the $250 million infrastructure bond voters approved in 2015, the road will be resurfaced. But we’ll be saying goodbye to the reversible lanes to make room for bikers. That’ll slow things down!
This article appears in our November 2019 issue .
2/34
Jump to… You asked, we answered: 34 things you probably don’t know about Atlanta Is Atlanta even enforcing electric scooter laws? Why are there so many damn potholes on DeKalb Avenue? Why is Underground Atlanta underground? What’s the most expensive meal in Atlanta? What does Atlanta do with my garbage and recycling? Did Clermont Lounge’s Blondie really publish a book of poetry? Why is there only one Bojangles’ ITP and a million immediately outside it? How many different cities has Hollywood turned Fairlie-Poplar into? Where did “Hotlanta” come from and why does it refuse to die? Why can’t Decatur get a Trader Joe’s? What animals have gotten loose on Atlanta highways? How many cold cases does the Atlanta Police Department have on file? Whatever happened to Baby Doe’s? How did each Kroger get its nickname? What goes into protecting the Coca-Cola formula? Why does it seem like there are suddenly more homeless people downtown? How much longer can Atlanta be a City in the Forest? Who’s the more successful movie producer: Will Packer or Tyler Perry? Why can private businesses hire cops to direct traffic on busy streets? Why does downtown Atlanta have overhead gerbil tunnels between buildings? Why do street names change at Ponce? How long could Atlanta survive in a disaster? When was Atlanta’s worst snowstorm? What happened to the giant ants at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport? Who the hell is Sloppy Floyd? What’s the fastest speed ever recorded on Ga. 400? I was in an accident on a highway with cameras. Why can’t I get footage? Who owns that tower with the torch next to the Connector? Who killed Ryan Gravel’s hopes and dreams for the BeltLine? How much can an Atlanta stripper make on a great night? Where are the best places in Atlanta to spot celebrities? Does anyone actually like the Varsity? Could commuter rail ever be installed on the train tracks that already run through Cobb County? Why is it so hard to buy a starter home in the city?