Lower Roswell traffic concept plan

Lower Roswell traffic concept plan OK’d by Cobb commissioners

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Following up on our weekend post about the upcoming Lower Roswell traffic improvements project: Cobb commissioners on Tuesday voted unanimously to approve the concept plan.

There was no discussion as commissioners quickly went through several individual votes on transportation items.

As we noted in our Saturday post, approval of the concept plan means that Cobb DOT can go ahead with property acquisitions that could take into early next year, with a targeted date of May 2022 to put the project up for competitive bidding.

Once that’s done, Cobb DOT estimates two years will be needed to complete the nearly $9 million construction work, covering 0.6-mile stretch of Lower Roswell from Woodlawn Drive to Davidson Road.

Also Tuesday, Cobb commissioners voted 4-1 to provide $1.5 million in new federal funds for emergency food distribution through county non-profit agencies.

Commissioner Keli Gambrill was opposed, saying the criteria favor larger non-profits, such as the Cobb Community Foundation, and penalize smaller organizations, including faith-based groups.

Gambrill also was the only vote against the creation of four new positions in the county cybersecurity department after a recent phishing attack. The county will spend just under $50,000 in the remaining fiscal year 2021.

Cobb commissioner Jerica Richardson, whose District 2 includes part of East Cobb, announced Tuesday that she will be holding a virtual economic town hall Saturday from 12-1 p.m.

The guest is Bobby Staten, a member of her “Community Cabinet,” who will discusssuch issues as the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, the state of the job market, and more.

Citizens can ask questions and attendance is free; registration information can be found here.

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Lower Roswell traffic concept plan to go before Cobb commissioners

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Lower Roswell traffic concept plan
An aerial rendering of the proposed Lower Roswell traffic plan, from Woodlawn Drive on the left to Davidson Road on the right. For a larger view click here. Source: Cobb DOT.

After several years of delays, Cobb DOT on Tuesday will present to Cobb commissioners a concept plan for major traffic improvements along a key stretch of Lower Roswell Road.

The nearly $9 million project (fact sheet; location map) would expand traffic lanes along Lower Roswell between Woodlawn Drive and Davidson Road, create special turn lanes in some areas and construct a raised median along one portion of the route that’s been the subject of numerous discussions.

The project is part of the 2011 Cobb government SPLOST, and it’s taken longer than usual to get to this point, according to Karyn Matthews, a Cobb DOT traffic engineer whose area covers Cobb commission District 2.

Right-of-way acquisitions also have complicated the work, as has research into property deeds and related matters.

“For Cobb DOT, this is a long one,” she said, “but we wanted to get the right concept for the community.”

Cobb commissioners are presented with concept plans for major traffic improvement projects before construction bids are sought.

Matthews said after a concept plan is approved, Cobb DOT needs to purchase 29 of the 32 property parcels required to complete the Lower Roswell project.

There have been several opportunities over the last few years for members of the public to comment on the proposal, including virtual comments collected in April.

Of the 30 or so comments Cobb DOT received, Matthews said many are from local businesses that would be affected by the raised median.

That median would be constructed on Lower Roswell between Johnson Ferry Road and Davidson Road, with two openings for left turns into the McDonald’s and the Kroger store at the Parkaire Landing Shopping Center.

“We have a concept that we feel good about,” Matthews said about the median proposal.

She said Cobb DOT is proposing that solution because the crash history in that area is above average.

1930s Lower Roswell home
Cobb County wants to make a “pocket park” out of land where a 1930s farmhouse once stood at Lower Roswell Road and Woodlawn Drive. ECN file

Other features of the traffic project include creating dual left-turn lanes from westbound Lower Roswell onto southbound Johnson Ferry Road, and creating a two-lane extension on Lower Roswell in either direction west of Woodlawn Drive, to Parkcrest Place.

That’s part of a major overhaul of a long-bottlenecked intersection that will have dedicated right-turn lanes onto Woodlawn from Lower Roswell.

Two of the three parcels the county has acquired are at that intersection: the site of a former produce fruit stand, and the home of Wilse Frasier (above), whose family lived in a farm home for decades until his death in 2018.

The county demolished the home in 2019, and Matthews said what portion of 0.9-acre parcel isn’t needed for the traffic improvements will be proposed as a “pocket park.”

That area would also include bike lanes that would connect with trails on Lower Roswell that are east of Johnson Ferry Road, Matthews said, citing a county master plan calling for bike access extending to Woodlawn.

She estimates that land purchases should take the rest of 2021 and possibly into next year to complete, with the project going out for bids by May 2022.

The estimated time of construction will be around two years, Matthews said.

The Cobb commission meeting begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the 2nd floor board room of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.

You also can watch on the county’s website, Facebook Live and YouTube channels and on Cobb TV 23 on Comcast Cable.

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