The $6.5 million pedestrian tunnel connecting The Boardwalk to the Medley mixed-use development is finished, and the Johns Creek City Council is set to vote Monday, July 27, on the last agreement needed before it opens to the public.

The council will consider an inspection agreement with the Georgia Department of Transportation at its 7 p.m. meeting at City Hall, 11360 Lakefield Drive. Under the agreement, GDOT would perform structural integrity inspections of the tunnel, which runs beneath Medlock Bridge Road in a state right of way. A work session begins at 5 p.m.

The tunnel broke ground in 2024. Once the GDOT agreement is approved, the city will handle routine maintenance, including cleaning, lighting, drainage, landscaping and graffiti removal.

The crossing is the physical link between two anchor projects in Johns Creek's Town Center district. On one side sits The Boardwalk, the 21-acre event space and recreation area behind City Hall that opened May 8. It drew roughly 15,000 visitors to the city's America 250 Independence Day celebration, according to city officials, and includes an amphitheater with capacity for 4,000 people, trails through constructed wetlands, and a playground.

On the other side: Medley, the 42-acre, $560 million mixed-use development led by Avalon developer Mark Toro at the intersection of Johns Creek Parkway and McGinnis Ferry Road. Medley's first phase, including 125,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, is scheduled to open by October 29, according to the Johns Creek Town Center website's April announcement. Confirmed tenants include Trader Joe's, Shake Shack, Sephora, Warby Parker, Fadó Irish Pub, CRÚ Food & Wine Bar, Five Daughters Bakery and more than two dozen other businesses.

Mayor John Bradberry referenced the tunnel on Friday, July 24, when the council approved an $8.58 million land purchase to enhance The Boardwalk. He said he expects the area to keep drawing visitors with Medley's arrival and the tunnel's opening.

"It's only going to get better," Bradberry said at the July 24 meeting, according to Appen Media.

The tunnel is part of a broader Town Center vision that has earned Johns Creek the International Economic Development Council's Excellence in Economic Development award and the Atlanta Regional Commission's 2025 Livable Center award.

Medley's second phase, called Encore, broke ground in April and is scheduled to open in 2027, according to the developer's timeline. A 175-room boutique hotel on the site is scheduled for 2028.

Residents can view the July 27 meeting agenda or watch a livestream at johnscreekga.gov.