Atlanta highway capping project The Stitch unveils new sculpture downtown

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A "Coming Soon" sign stands for the downtown Atlanta highway capping project known as The Stitch.

Credit: Courtesy of Jeffrey Moustache

The downtown Atlanta highway capping project known as The Stitch is still moving forward despite losing federal funding in 2025. Leaders unveiled a new sculpture near the site highlighting the project’s goals on Wednesday.

The Stitch will be 17 acres of housing, parks, and gathering spaces over the interstate to reconnect Midtown and downtown Atlanta. The interactive sculpture features several long interweaving LED lights connected to an audio receiver that changes that lights color based on vocal pitches. It is called "What We Weave" and runs though the trees of Mayors Park in downtown Atlanta.

Artist Eddie Farr said he wants his sculpture to be a point of connection.

"So people stop and they, strangers, sit next to each other and maybe they are like, 'That's a really weird thing to just happen,'" Farr said. “Or maybe they're like, 'That was really beautiful.' Like, it's just encouraging people to talk to somebody they normally wouldn't talk to."

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Artist Eddie Farr.

Credit: Courtesy of Wyatt Kane

The art installation is a collaboration between Atlanta Department of Parks and Rec and the Office of Cultural Affairs. Farr worked with a team of other creators to finish the project. He said it's important people know the sculpture was a group effort. 

"I had fabrication help from Hannah Hendricks," Farr said. "Lighting Design by Ryan Clark, audio interactivity by John Thompson, and then installation and sculpting help from Julia Hill and George Long."

Leaders with The Stitch were originally allotted $160 million in federal grants but those were rescinded under the Trump administration’s Big Beautiful Bill. Stitch Inc. CEO Jack Cebe said they are working to fill the gap.

"We've secured about $50 million in local and federal funding to date. We also, last year, set up a new what's known as a special services district," he said. "It's a special tax district. That includes the properties within The Stitch district that will benefit from this project coming to fruition. So, we have revenue coming in from that as well on an annual basis to fund the things that we're doing."

The Stitch will ultimately create a new neighborhood over the highway known as North Downtown. Cebe said they’re adding art and hosting events to bring people back downtown.

"It's largely vacant and unprogrammed today, so we want to start bringing the community together even ahead of the infrastructure," he said.

Phase 1 of the project will be shovel-ready early next year, with construction estimated to start in late 2027.