(Georgia Recorder) — The state government and Atlanta City Council are at odds over a proposed skybridge connecting the state Capitol with a new legislative office building currently under construction across the street.

The Georgia General Assembly last year approved spending $392 million on the new office building to house government offices and committee hearings and for other refurbishments to the Capitol campus.

But the state needs authorization from Atlanta to build the skybridge, which would extend over Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, because part of its footing takes up some of the city’s right of way, and they also need air rights. Members of the city’s transportation committee voted 5-0 to table the project Wednesday.

David Mitchell, executive director of the Atlanta Preservation Center, said the Capitol is one of Atlanta’s most iconic buildings and the state hasn’t done enough to work with the city.

“To do this, to allow them to have this in perpetuity basically diminishes Atlanta’s autonomy, diminishes what Atlanta stands for and it allows the state to come in and basically say they can do whatever they want,” he told committee members. “It is offensive.”

Council members expressed concerns that the skybridge would interfere with efforts to revitalize downtown Atlanta.

“I’m a big believer that these sorts of pedestrian bridges – or as like to call them, hamster tubes – don’t do much or do anything to get people on the street and patronizing businesses because they’re able to go from building to building without really interacting with the street in a way that breaks the vibrancy that we’re looking for,” said Councilman Jason Dozier, whose district includes the Capitol.

Councilman Amir Farokhi agreed.

“Our friends from Dalton and Thomasville and Macon and Swainsboro, et cetera, we welcome them on our streets, and as you spend time during the legislative session at the Capitol and the state buildings complex, downtown Atlanta and the area around the state Capitol will be made better by folks walking around the footprint,” he said.

But Gerald Pilgrim, chief of staff at the Georgia Building Authority, said lawmakers, lobbyists and members of the public attending legislative hearings won’t pass any small businesses between the Capitol and the new legislative building whether they cross Martin Luther King Jr. Drive at the crosswalk or high above traffic.

“The state of Georgia, we own the blocks around this area,” he said. “There are no private businesses within multiple blocks of this location. The closest restaurants to the area are both owned by the Georgia Building Authority, so we really weren’t sure, we didn’t understand those (comments).”

“It’s just to connect the Capitol and the legislative office building,” he added. “You would still have to walk to get to the Capitol from a parking lot or parking deck or MARTA. You would have to walk to get to the legislative office buildings from those things. So it’s still the same.”

Pilgrim said the skybridge will improve accessibility to the Capitol and to committee hearings for young people, seniors and people in wheelchairs. He said his agency is ready to answer any questions the council has and hopes they can come to an agreement.

“Ultimately, the new legislative office is being built. It will be open October 31st, 2026, and hopefully we’ll have a bridge. If not, that’ll be something that somebody can add at a future time,” he said.

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