City and Raleigh Iron Works developer in talks about Atlantic Ave. pedestrian crossing

It’s a Friday night in Raleigh. You’ve grabbed some drinks with friends at Lynnwood Brewing Concern at Dock 1053, and now the group has decided they need sustenance. Luckily, Raleigh Iron Works is within walking distance, and Eastcut Sandwich Bar is looking pretty good right now. Maybe later, you’ll head into Andia’s for some scoops.

There’s just one thing separating you from carbohydrate reinforcements: Atlantic Avenue .

And even if — scratch that, especially if — you’re feeling the effects of liquid courage, crossing Atlantic on foot is risky. There’s no crosswalk along Atlantic Avenue or at the intersection with East Whitaker Mill Road.

While there’s a sidewalk along Atlantic Avenue on the Raleigh Iron Works side, there’s a metal barrier separating the sidewalk from the street. And if you did step over that barrier, there isn’t a sidewalk on the Dock 1053 side of Atlantic.

Dock 1053 , Raleigh Iron Works and Salvage Yard , the three districts that surround the intersection, continue to fill up with restaurants , retailers, offices and multifamily residential spaces. (Salvage Yard is under construction, but tenants have been announced.) But Atlantic Avenue stands as significant, often dangerous, barrier to what would otherwise be a highly walkable destination.

Locals, the city of Raleigh and the developer all say that pedestrian safety needs to be enhanced, yet talks of plans are still just that — talks. No construction on crosswalks or a pedestrian bridge has started. No timelines have been announced.

Raleigh Iron Works developer has ‘considered’ bridge to Dock 1053

Along with Jamestown, Grubb Ventures is one of the firms leading the development of Raleigh Iron Works .

Anthony Smithson, Grubb’s managing director of development and construction, told The News & Observer in an email that while the original site plans for Raleigh Iron Works didn’t include a pedestrian bridge across Atlantic Avenue, the firm has “ considered the concept of a bridge connection to Dock 1053 more recently.”

A conceptual rendering produced in 2022 — a year after construction began at Raleigh Iron Works — shows a pedestrian bridge across Atlantic, from Raleigh Iron Works to Dock 1053.

Smithson said there is “an encroachment agreement for a pedestrian bridge under review at the city, ” which they hope the city council will review later this year.

However, the encroachment agreement doesn’t mean that a bridge is in the works. Smithson said the cost of building a bridge has “increased considerably” and that if a bridge is ever constructed, it “may occur during future phases” of the Raleigh Iron Works development.

Still, Smithson said Grubb Ventures continues to support pedestrian safety and traffic calming measures along Atlantic Avenue.

City of Raleigh ‘coordinating with developer’

The city of Raleigh knows that there are problems along Atlantic Avenue and Whitaker Mill, Julia Milstead, a public information officer for the city, told The N&O in an email.

“We are coordinating with the developer and their team as they work on their second phase of that development, including a potential pedestrian bridge over Atlantic Avenue,” Milstead said.

That coordination includes discussing ways to improve the intersections, both in the short term and the long term.

“The city has emphasized a need to work toward a solution that offers a means for pedestrians to cross Atlantic Avenue ,” Milstead said.

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