Development of Olympic Infrastructure

Aerial view of construction

Street view of construction

Land is cleared for construction

Aerial view of construction with Olympic Rings

The 1996 Summer Olympic games were by no means a small undertaking. In order to host the games, a country needs to be able to accommodate not only the athletes and the games themselves but also the massive influx of people who are coming to watch the games and support their home countries. In 1996, nearly 200 Olympic committees participated, sending more than 10,000 athletes to compete in the games. 

In order to make room for all these people, Atlanta needed to make vast improvements to its infrastructure. It is estimated that the Centennial Olympic games had an economic impact on the city of $5.4 billion. To prepare for the games, the US government, along with numerous private investors, provided $575 million for the expansion of airports and the improvement of other modes of transportation and housing. This money was spent on repaving roads, updating subway lines, redeveloping public housing projects, and building Centennial Olympic Park and the stadium(which would later become Turner field). 

Sources:

Sack, Kevin. “Atlanta Scrambles to Transform Itself for Olympics.” The New York Times, 10 Apr. 1996.