East Cobb Traffic & Roads

East Cobb weather returns to sunny, warm conditions after Irma

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Little Willeo Road near Johnson Ferry Road, East Cobb weather
Crews work on a power line on Little Willeo Road near Johnson Ferry Road Tuesday afternoon. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)

As work crews repaired power lines and cleared tree and other debris from roads Tuesday, East Cobb started to return to normal after riding out Tropical Storm Irma. Although partly cloudy skies and some rain are expected Wednesday, by the end of the week East Cobb weather will pick up where it left off before Monday’s storm.

Cobb County was spared the worst of the powerful storm’s damage that has crippled much of Georgia and other parts of metro Atlanta.

Cobb EMC reported no power outages as of late Tuesday afternoon, while several hundred Cobb customers of Georgia Power, mostly in South Cobb, were still without electricity.

Cobb officials said fewer than 100 trees were reported down throughout the county, and no major roads or streets were closed as a result of that or other damage.

Little Willeo Road 9.12.17, East Cobb weather
An AT & T service truck flashing caution lights to passing motorists on Little Willeo Road on a rainy Tuesday afternoon. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)

The Cobb County School District is the only major school system to return to classes Wednesday (East Cobb News post here), as sizable areas of metro Atlanta remain without power and have road hazards.

There are still plenty of minor branches and light debris scattered about East Cobb. In addition to electric crews, trucks from AT & T, Comcast and other utility companies were repairing lines, cables and other connection points that experienced lost service.

Irma carried sustained winds of more than 30 mph in many places around metro Atlanta, and gusts in some cases exceeding 50 mph, but those winds never got as strong in Cobb.

In nearby Sandy Springs, wind damage knocked down trees along many major roads, and a falling tree killed a man sleeping in his home. Motorists were advised not to travel to Sandy Springs from East Cobb via those affected areas (East Cobb News post here).

As Cobb students return to classes and business fully open on Wednesday, the rain will gradually dissipate and warmer temperatures will return. A 30 percent chance of showers is forecast for East Cobb, mainly in the afternoon, along with partly sunny skies. The high temperature should be around 75 (here’s the 7-day local forecast by the National Weather Service).

Thursday also is expected to be party sunny, with a high near 79, and Friday will be mostly sunny with temperatures in the low 80s.

By the weekend, with the East Cobber Parade & Festival on Saturday and the East Cobb Garden Tour and a Sunday Funday event at East Cobb Park on Sunday, mostly sunny skies are forecast and temperatures will be in the mid-80s.

Two killed in Lower Roswell Road accident early Tuesday morning

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Two people were killed in a one-car accident off Lower Roswell Road in East Cobb early Tuesday morning, according to Cobb Police.Lower Roswell Road at Asheforde Drive, East Cobb fatal accident

The victims, both males, died when the white Dodge Challenger in which they were riding slammed into a stone wall at the entrance to the Gold Branch Trail of of the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area shortly after midnight and caught fire.

Police said the men were pronounced dead at the scene, and that the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office was working to identify them.

Police said the vehicle was traveling on Lower Roswell Road near Asheforde Drive when the driver apparently lost control.

In addition to the roads being wet, police said the vehicle apparently was exceeding the posted 40 mph speed limit.

Anyone with information about the accident should call Cobb Police at 770-499-3987.

Cobb cleans up after Irma; travel alert issued for Sandy Springs

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Johnson Ferry Road at Princeton Lakes Drive
A northbound view of Johnson Ferry Road at Princeton Lakes Drive, at 11 a.m. Tuesday. (Georgia 511 photo)

Cobb County got plenty of rain and high winds and power outages on Monday as Tropical Storm Irma engulfed metro Atlanta and Georgia, but it could have been a lot worse.

Cobb schools and government remain closed today as the cleanup continues following the passage of the large storm, which has been downgraded to a tropical depression.

Two people died in metro Atlanta and more than 1.5 million customers in Georgia lost power during Irma, whose arrival prompted a statewide declaration of a state of emergency.

Some motorists are out on the roads and some businesses are open today, but local and state officials are warning of downed trees and power lines, debris and standing water.

Compared to other communities in metro Atlanta, Cobb dodged the worst of Irma. As of 11 a.m. Tuesday, Georgia Power reported around 50 power outages in the county remaining (after several thousand initially), compared to several hundred in Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett and Clayton (here’s more).

Georgia Power outage map
In this Georgia Power outage map as of 11 a.m. Tuesday, the red colors indicate power outages between 5k-15k, orange 500-5k and green under 500.

Cobb EMC reported late Monday evening that fewer than 200 customers were without power, but hasn’t updated that figure this morning.

Many of the dozens of roads in Atlanta, Fulton County, DeKalb and elsewhere that closed Monday still hadn’t reopened as of late Tuesday morning. Cobb DOT as yet hasn’t identified any road closures but all major East Cobb thoroughfares are open; we’ll be getting out soon to take a look around.

Also hard-hit in Monday’s storm was Sandy Springs, adjacent to East Cobb, where a man died when a tree fell on his house while he was sleeping.

Several major roads in Sandy Springs remain closed this morning, and Cobb officials urged motorists who may be headed there to seek alternative routes.

Trees were reported down on Johnson Ferry Road in Sandy Springs, not far from the Chattahoochee River and the border with East Cobb. Here’s the advisory sent out by Cobb government this morning:

“The City of Sandy Springs is asking all motorists to stay off the roads on Tuesday. Georgia Power is not able to begin repairs on any down power lines until Tuesday morning.

“Sandy Springs has more than 30 roads impacted by down power lines. Of those, ten roads are major connections for residents throughout the metro area as part of their daily commute including: Spalding Drive, Riverside Drive, Johnson Ferry Road, Powers Ferry Road, Lake Forrest, Northside Drive, High Point Road and Glenridge Road.

“There is no timeline on when to expect roads to reopen. The City has closed its offices on Tuesday and encourages other businesses within the city to do the same.”

And as we noted here yesterday, the Cobb Board of Commissioners meeting scheduled for today, including the final public hearing and adoption of the fiscal year 2018 budget and passage of the Cobb 2040 Comprehensive Plan has been postponed to Sept. 22.

How did you fare during the storm? Let us know! Send your news, including photos if you have them, to: editor@eastcobbnews.com.

We’ll post another update later today after we take a drive around the community.

East Cobb motorists stay off roads as Tropical Storm Irma arrives

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Johnson Ferry and Roswell Road, East Cobb motorists
The intersection of Johnson Ferry Road and Roswell Road, one of East Cobb’s busiest, shortly after 10 a.m. Monday. (Georgia 511 camera photos)

The typical morning rush hour was anything but on Monday, as East Cobb motorists heeded the warnings of Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal and other officials to stay off the roads as Tropical Storm Irma pushed into metro Atlanta.

With schools and government offices closed (previous East Cobb News coverage here), as well as a growing number of businesses, what normally would be traffic bottlenecks around East Cobb took on the appearance of lonely stretches of backwater roads.

For most of Monday morning, moderate to heavy rain from Irma engulfed the entire state of Georgia, although the center of the storm was passing through central Alabama.

(At 10:40 a.m. Monday, Cobb County government announced all offices and services, including courts and libraries, would be closed on Tuesday.)

The rain began overnight, along with winds around 15-20 mph, but they were expected to pick up substantially into Monday afternoon. Up to 5-7 inches of rain are being forecast by the National Weather Service throughout the metro area into Monday evening, and sustained winds of 35-40 mph and gusts possibly surpassing 60 mph.

Because of the low temperatures—in the mid-to-high 50s late Monday morning—the likelihood of tornado weather has been drastically reduced.

Powers Ferry Road at Windy Hill Road, East Cobb motorists, Tropical Storm Irma
Powers Ferry Road at Windy Hill Road.

Deal declared a statewide state of emergency on Sunday afternoon, and tropical storm warnings issued by the National Weather Service on Saturday were to continue indefinitely.

Cobb, metro Atlanta and most of Georgia also remain under a flash flood watch until early Tuesday. The potential wind damage to trees and power lines, as well as debris and glass falling from buildings, has prompted some rare actions. MARTA bus and rail service has been suspended for Monday. As of 11 a.m. Monday the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport remains open, although hundreds of flights have already been cancelled.

Roswell Road at 120 Loop
Roswell Road at the 120 Loop.

After tearing through Florida on Sunday, Hurricane Irma entered south Georgia Sunday night as a Category 2 storm, and was expected to be downgraded to Category 1 and tropical storm status as it traveled north.

But the power of the storm has caused plenty of serious damage to Georgia already. State emergency officials and law enforcement agencies have been reporting big trees and power lines being down in roadways, and damage from buildings and other debris endangering motorists, pedestrians and emergency crews.

By mid-morning Monday, those reports included locations in the metro Atlanta area.

Hundreds of thousands of Georgians are already without electricity, and those numbers figure to skyrocket as the effects of Irma move through the state and into Alabama and western Tennessee by Monday evening.

Georgia citizens are being urged to stay where they are for the remainder of Monday. However, Georgia DOT is advising that “if you are out and about and come to a traffic light out—treat as four way stop.”

Terrell Mill Road at Paper Mill Road
Terrell Mill Road at Paper Mill Road.

Cobb residents are being urged to acquaint themselves with safety information provided by the Cobb Emergency Management Agency. The basics include having flashlights, batteries, fully-charged cell phones, mobile devices and portable radios ready, along with procedures for moving to a safer part of a home or other building if necessary.

To prevent against being injured by falling trees, broken glass or other debris from high winds, move to a room without windows.

You can track CEMA updates here.

If you lose power, know the emergency phone number and procedures for contacting for your service provider.

Georgia Power is asking customers to report outages at its outage information link. (At 11:30 a.m., Georgia Power reported that about 330,000 customers statewide were without power, including around 85,000 in metro Atlanta, numbers that were “growing fast.”)

If you are a Cobb EMC member, report outages on its free app or call. 770-429-2100. Do not report outages to its social media channels.

Sandy Plains at Shallowford Road
Sandy Plains at Shallowford Road.

East Cobb pipeline installation finalized as project nears completion

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East Cobb Pipeline Project
Lower Roswell Road near the Sope Creek Bridge was the last area for the East Cobb Pipeline Project water main to be installed. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)

The new 54-inch water main along a 6.1-mile stretch of Lower Roswell Road and Terrell Mill Road has been put in place. But the East Cobb Pipeline Project isn’t quite finished.

Post-installation work continues and will conclude with repaving. The $47 million project, which began two years ago, will still involve some traffic disruption in the coming weeks. More about what’s ahead from Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott, who sent out this message on Friday:

Over the next several weeks, the East Cobb Pipeline project will come to a close. Commuters will continue to see crews on site performing final backfill, testing, paving and cleanup activities with single lane closures decreasing in frequency. By the end of this week, the entire pipeline will be filled with water for pressure testing the week of 9/11 while other crews continue to prepare the road for repaving. During the week of  Sept. 18, disinfection of the pipeline will take place, as well as possible paving from Sope Creek to Lindsey Road, depending on weather and progress. After testing and commissioning of the pipeline, final resurfacing will take place by Cobb County Department of Transportation. For questions or concerns, please call the project hotline at 770-514-5301. 

Lower Roswell Road water main construction work continues tonight

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East Cobb Pipeline Project, Lower Roswell Road
Lower Roswell Road at Indian Hills Court, where pipeline construction is nearing completion. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)

Around 4:30 p.m. today Cobb DOT announced there will be night construction of the East Cobb Pipeline project tonight along Lower Roswell Road between Ancient Oaks Court  and Indian Hills Trail, just east of the Sope Creek Bridge.

The work is scheduled from 7 p.m. tonight until 5 a.m. Wednesday and traffic will be down to one lane along that 0.8-mile stretch of Lower Roswell.Lower Roswell water main construction

It’s part of the final phase of the water main installation, and when we drove by there earlier this afternoon, you could see the project was tantalizingly close to being done. Less than a hundred feet of water main installation remains, as crews work primarily around the bridge area on Lower Roswell on either side of Sope Creek.

Weekday traffic is reduced to one lane between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., with crews alternating passage, as has been the case since the project began in late 2015.

Temporary paving of this final stretch of Lower Roswell is expected to take place next week, followed by final resurfacing by Cobb DOT. For more information, call the East Cobb Pipeline Project hotline at 770-514-5301.

UPDATED: Motorist dies after East Cobb accident, confrontation with police involving Taser

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Roswell Road at North Marietta Parkway, East Cobb traffic
Cobb DOT photo of Roswell Road at South Marietta Parkway shortly before the ramp reopened early Friday morning.

UPDATED, 2:25 P.M.: The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said what turned out to be a deadly confrontation between a motorist and Cobb Police early Friday morning at a traffic accident scene in East Cobb involved the use of a Taser.

According to a GBI statement issued shortly after 2 p.m. today, the male driver of a white Dodge Caravan, which was heading westbound on Roswell Road, passed a marked Cobb Police car at an excessively high rate of speed.

Police tried to stop the Dodge Caravan, then pursued his vehicle, which then slammed into another car on the ramp to the South Marietta Parkway. The GBI said the driver of the Dodge Caravan “became combative and fought with officers” who had arrived at the accident scene. During the confrontation, one officer utilized his Taser, according to the GBI, and “the subject became unresponsive. He was transported to the hospital where he died.”

According to the GBI statement, the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office is conducting an autopsy on the deceased man, whose identity has not been disclosed.

The GBI said several officers received minor injuries during the struggle but did not require medical attention. The driver of the other vehicle involved in the accident was hospitalized with minor injuries, according to the GBI.

The GBI continues to investigate the post-crash incident, while the Georgia State Patrol probes the accident. The GBI will turn over its findings to the Cobb District Attorney’s Office.

ORIGINAL REPORT, POSTED 1:32 P.M.: Cobb Police said one person died early Friday following a collision involving two cars on the ramp connecting Roswell Road and the South Marietta Parkway in East Cobb.

The accident happened at 12:46 a.m., according to police, and the ramp was closed until around 7:30 a.m.

According to a statement from Cobb Police, the male driver of a white Dodge Caravan traveling westbound on Roswell Road passed a Cobb Police officer in a marked patrol car at a high rate of speed.

When the driver entered the ramp to South Marietta Parkway, the Dodge Caravan hit another vehicle in the curve, police said.

When they arrived at the accident scene, officers from Cobb Precinct 4 struggled with the Dodge Caravan driver, who was arrested and later transported to a hospital, where he died, according to the Cobb Police statement.

Cobb Police have not identified the man who died.

The accident remains under investigation and is being conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Georgia State Patrol.

EAST COBB TRAFFIC ALERT: Accident causing delays on Johnson Ferry Road at Woodlawn Drive

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Johson Ferry Road at Woodlawn Drive, East Cobb traffic and roads
Cobb DOT photo of Johnson Ferry Road looking southbound at the Woodlawn Drive intersection. Northbound lanes also are backed up. 

UPDATED, 1:35 P.M.: Cobb DOT reports that all northbound and southbound lanes of Johnson Ferry Road have reopened to traffic.

ORIGINAL REPORT: At around 12:45 p.m. Friday, Cobb DOT reported that an accident in the southbound lanes of Johnson Ferry Road and Woodlawn Drive is causing major traffic delays.

The delays are being experienced in both the southbound and northbound directions on Johnson Ferry Road.

Updates to follow.

 

EAST COBB TRAFFIC ALERT: Lower Roswell closed at Indian Hills Parkway

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East Cobb traffic

UPDATED, 1:07 p.m.: Cobb DOT now says the intersection has reopned to traffic. Lower Roswell had been closed between Shadowlawn Drive and Indian Hills Trail.

ORIGINAL POST, 10:46 a.m.: Around 10:38 a.m. this morning, Cobb DOT announced that Lower Roswell Road is closed at Indian Hills Parkway due to a broken gas main, and that traffic delays are very heavy.

Please avoid the area; we will post more updates as we get them.

Accident closes Roswell Road between Timber Ridge and Bishop Lake roads

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A Cobb Police cruiser prevents westbound traffic onto Roswell Road from Bishop Lake Road so power crews could make repairs. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)

Cobb Police shut down a short stretch of Roswell Road east of Johnson Ferry Road Tuesday afternoon due to an accident, but it caused plenty of traffic headaches.

A dump truck struck a power pole and traffic in both directions was shut down between Timber Ridge Road and Bishop Lake Drive for a couple of hours.

The shutdown took place approximately between 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., with major backups on Timber Ridge and Bishop Lake during that period, with some after-school bus and related traffic also affected.

Shortly before Roswell was re-opened, the Catholic Church of St. Ann—located at the Roswell-Bishop Lake intersection—sent out a notice on its Facebook page for parishioners to build in more time for tonight’s 7 p.m. Feast of the Assumption mass.

Power crews were still working on the side of the road once Roswell was re-opened to traffic.

 

Bells Ferry-Piedmont Road intersection project on Cobb commission agenda

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Bells Ferry Road

The congested Bells Ferry Road intersection at Piedmont Road and Barrett Parkway is scheduled for a proposed improvement project that would include left- and right-hand turn lanes.

The Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday will consider at $2 million funding request to make the changes, which include the following additions:

  • northbound and southbound dual left turn lanes on Bells Ferry Road;
  • a northbound right turn lane on Bells Ferry Road;
  • a westbound right turn lane on Piedmont Road.

The project was approved in the 2005 Cobb SPLOST transportation list, and the low bidder is Acworth-based Glosson Enterprises. The timetable for completion is projected to be a year.

Another East Cobb-related road project on Tuesday’s agenda (here’s the full book) includes approving a $63,700 contract for Excellere Construction to build a sidewalk on the east side of Providence Road, between Providence Corner Drive and Pine Road.

The commission meeting starts at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the 2nd floor meeting room of the Cobb BOC Building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.

Pope High School roundabout project nearing completion

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Pope High School roundabout
The final phase of the Pope roundabout project has taken place all summer. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)

Updated, 5:15 p.m.: The roundabout has opened! We got there about two hours before traffic in all directions was open to the public.

We swung by the Pope High School roundabout project Sunday afternoon, the day before school begins, and the construction work at Hembree Road and Meadow Drive is just about complete. There were intermittent closures as work crews were doing finishing-up work, but some traffic was allowed to go through along Hembree.

The roundabout, with an estimated cost exceeding $3 million, replaces a traffic signal at Hembree and Meadow and includes some crosswalk work in the vicinity of the Pope entrance.

Anyone traveling on Hembree from Post Oak Tritt to Pope should be advised that the road still needs repaving with a top coat; it’s a grinding drive to the school and beyond.

Cobb DOT prepared the following video about the roundabout:

Delk Road southbound exit ramp to I-75 to be closed Thursday 8 p.m.—Friday 5 a.m.

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Northwest Corridor Project, I-75 at Delk Road

This notice and accompanying map of the detour route were just released by Cobb County Government:

Georgia Department of Transportation construction partners will close the I-75 southbound exit ramp to Delk Road to install a barrier wall on the bridge overhead. The construction is part of the I-75 Northwest Corridor Express Lanes project.WHEN: Thursday, July 20, 8 p.m. – Friday, July 21, 5 a.m.

WHERE: I-75 Southbound Exit Ramp to Delk Road Closure – Motorists traveling I-75 southbound to Delk Road will be directed to take exit 263 for South Marietta Parkway. From there, motorists will be directed to turn right onto South Marietta Parkway, followed by a left onto Cobb Parkway. Motorists will then resume travel on Delk Road.

ADVISORY: Exact dates may change due to weather or other extenuating factors. Motorists are advised to expect delays, exercise caution, and reduce their speed while traveling through work zones. Before heading out, get real-time information on work status and traffic conditions. Call 511, visit 511ga.org, or download the Georgia 511 app.

Please visit the project website at http://www.dot.ga.gov/DS/GEL/NWC to stay informed, or email northwestcorridor@dot.ga.gov to subscribe to weekly traffic alerts.

Lower Roswell resurfacing expansion, Willeo Creek bridge design approved by Cobb commissioners

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Lower Roswell Road Water Main Project
One-lane traffic on Lower Roswell Road as part of the East Cobb Pipeline Project remains around the bridge over Sope Creek. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)

Two important road items of interest to East Cobb motorists got the green light Tuesday from the Cobb Board of Commissioners, one immediate and that’s long-term.

The first concerns the repaving along Lower Roswell Road following the completion of the East Cobb Pipeline Project.

The commission approved a change order request to expand an existing repaving project to include the 2.08-mile stretch from Old Canton Road to Indian Hills Parkway, and it won’t cost taxpayers any additional funding.

Instead, the estimated cost of $593,095 will come out of already-approved money (via the 2016 SPLOST) as part of the Cobb DOT’s contract with Baldwin Paving Co., which has been repaving 25-30 roads around the county.

The money is available due to underruns in the overall Baldwin contract, according to Cobb DOT.

“The road when it’s finished will be a great improvement,” East Cobb commissioner Bob Ott said before the 5-0 vote.

In another 5-0 vote, the commission approved an engineering design contract with Gresham Smith and Partners for $483,359 for replacement of the Willeo Road bridge over Willeo Creek. It’s a joint project with the City of Roswell, with each jurisdiction kicking in around $213,900 each. Roswell is spending an additional $55,474 for design work for a multi-use trail boardwalk that will connect to the new bridge.

Multi-use trails along Lower Roswell also reach the Cobb side of the bridge and continue westbound, close to Johnson Ferry Road, where bicycle and pedestrian trails are proposed as part of the Johnson Ferry Urban Design Plan approved in 2011.