“Crews worked overnight to repair damage caused by a sinkhole on Sandy Plains Road at Wood Creek Drive. Some northbound lanes remain closed today as workers replace the curb and gutters for that stretch of the road.
“All lane closures will be removed before 5:00 pm.”
ORIGINAL REPORT:
This just in from Cobb County government:
“The discovery of a sinkhole during routine resurfacing work on Sandy Plains has forced crews to close a northbound lane at Wood Creek Drive to make repairs. This is on Sandy Plains between Wigley and Wesley Chapel. The closure will remain in effect through the rush hour tonight and into Wednesday.”
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Work crews were putting the finishing touches on the newly reopened Willeo Creek Bridge Friday, 10 months after it closed for an overhaul.
There were construction trucks on the Cobb County side of the bridge and the roundabout linking Azalea Drive in Roswell with Lower Roswell Road and Timber Ridge Road when we drove by.
A few pedestrians were making their way along the expanded multi-use trails on either side of the $3 million bridge, which replaced a 60-year old bridge.
The joint project between the City of Roswell and Cobb DOT was delayed several times by the contractor.
Originally set to reopen last September, the bridge reopening was pushed back to last December, then March 2022 when Baldwin Paving Co. said it couldn’t meet that deadline.
The county threatened to issue fines for any further delays. On Wednesday, with just a day left in March, all forms of traffic reopened, just in time for spring break for the Cobb school district and the start of a busy spring and summer season for recreational activities along the Chattahoochee River.
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Several major thoroughfares in the East Cobb area will get resurfaced as part of the initial group of projects funded through the Cobb 2022 SPLOST.
Cobb commissioners on Tuesday approved the spending of $28.2 million to repave 29 roads totalling nearly 43 miles around the county.
They include Johnson Ferry Road between Roswell Road and Post Oak Tritt Road, Sandy Plains Road from Shallowford Road to Alabama Road and all of Robinson Road.
Here are the roads in East Cobb that will be resurfaced; there’s not a specific timetable for each one to be completed:
Delk Road from Powers Ferry Road to Terrell Mill Road, 0.3 miles
Fairfield Drive from Lower Roswell Road to Indian Hills Parkway, 1.3 miles
Johnson Ferry Road from Post Oak Tritt to Roswell Road, 2.5 miles
Little Willeo Road from Johnson Ferry Road to Timber Ridge Road, 1.8 miles
Robinson Road from Roswell Road East to Roswell Road West, 3.2 miles
Timber Ridge Road from Roswell Road to Lower Roswell Road, 1.3 miles
East Piedmont Road from Sandy Plains Road to Allgood Road, 2.1 miles
Maybreeze Road from Ebenezer Road to Shallowford Road, 0.7 miles
North Hembree Road from Hembree Road to Shallowford Road, 0.5 miles
Old Mountain Park Road from Alabama Road to the Fulton County line, 0.5 miles
Sandy Plains Road from Shallowford Road to Alabama Road, 3.1 miles
Trickum Road from Shallowford Road to the Cherokee County line, 2.4 miles
In 2020, Cobb voters extended the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax that collects funds for various county projects, including road maintenance.
The new six-year collection period began in January; here’s more information about what’s on the project list.
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Unleaded gas at some East Cobb locations cost a little less than the Georgia and metro Atlanta average of $3.14 a gallon.
As the Christmas and New Year’s holidays approach, motorists in metro Atlanta and Georgia are seeing gasoline prices start to fall.
AAA-The Auto Club Group reports that the average price across the state last week was $3.14 a gallon, 4 cents down from the previous week and 12 cents below the November average.
But the sharp rise in gas prices in recent months, which came with a peak of nearly $3.25 a gallon in some areas of metro Atlanta, means that the current average is still $1.14 more than this time in 2020.
AAA estimates that a 15-gallon tank costs $47.10 to fill up, $10.20 more than January 2020, when the cost at the pump was $2.46 per gallon in Georgia.
“Lower oil prices continue to bring down prices at the pump,” said Montrae Waiters, AAA-The Auto Club Group spokeswoman. “As well as, when the Omicron variant emerged in late November, health experts concluded the variant did not seem to produce more severe cases than other variants. Markets have taken that to mean global energy demand will likely not be diminished. Unfortunately, we still can’t predict if the Omicron variant will continue to push oil and gas prices lower for the remainder of the month.”
The metro Atlanta average is $3.18 a gallon, and around East Cobb many stations are at or below that price for unleaded fuel.
The current national average is $3.32. You can check gas prices near you by clicking here.
The Auto Club Group also is projecting a healthy rebound in the number of Georgians traveling for the holidays, between Dec. 23-Jan. 2.
The estimate is 3.4 million travelers in the state, which is down from 2019 but represents an increase of 857,949, or 34 percent more, than 2020, the first holiday season of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Those projections reflect nationwide surges in holiday travel, according to an AAA report you can read by clicking here.
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Cobb DOT is reporting that drive-through traffic on Old Sewell Road between Holt Road and Lower Roswell Road will be unavailable for the time being.
That’s due to emergency drainage repairs that began Monday near the Holt Road intersection.
Local access on Old Sewell Road to Ashton Woods Drive and Weatherstone Parkway remains open.
Cobb government spokesman Ross Cavitt said the pipe below the Old Sewell-Holt intersection had separated “and other components had rusted out, resulting to damage to the sidewalks and roadway. They are replacing the failed pipe and structure.”
An alert listed on the Cobb DOT Facebook page indiates a Feb. 4 reopening, but Cavitt said “they do not expect it to last much past 2-3 weeks” and possibly a little while after that due to the holidays.
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Cobb County government said Friday that Pete Shaw Road is closed between Wieuca Court and Indian Town Road in Northeast Cobb due to downed power lines.
That’s located off Steinhauer Road near Lassiter High School, and the county alert said the cause stems from a car crash.
“It may take several hours for crews to repair and reopen the roadway,” said the county message, which went out shortly after 2 p.m. Friday.
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A reader recently asked us about the delayed reopening of the Willeo Creek Bridge, which we reported in September was being pushed back to Dec. 20.
We checked with Cobb County government, which told us this morning that there’s another, equally substantial delay, and that the contractor wasn’t going to be able to meet the new deadline.
Instead, the estimated reopening timetable is in March 2022. Here’s what county spokesman Ross Cavitt passed along in response to our inquiry:
“Baldwin Paving Company, Inc., the contractor for the Willeo Road over Willeo Creek project, will be unable to reopen the bridge to traffic on December 20, 2021 as the county previously expected. The county is pursuing every option to expedite this project, including leveraging fines for the delays. The contractor provided a revised date of March 2022 to reopen the bridge to traffic.”
No reasons for the latest delay were elaborated; previously the contractor cited weather and “unexpected conditions” under the bridge for needing additional time.
As we’ve noted previously, the best detour option if you need to get to that area of Roswell is the same—head east on Roswell Road, then south on Willeo Road.
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We noted last week about an upcoming town hall meeting held by Cobb commissioner Jerica Richardson about the 2022 Cobb Mobility SPLOST.
That town hall was to have been held Tuesday at the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center but has been postponed.
Richardson’s office announced this week that the new date is Tuesday, Nov. 30, at 6 p.m. at the Fullers Park Recreation Center (3499 Robinson Road).
It will be the last of the town halls that are being held in each of the four commission districts. The first was held earlier this week at the North Cobb Regional Library.
The county information sheet on the Cobb Mobility SPLOST indicated that it is expected to be drafted in January 2022, followed by an estimate of generated revenue and the development of a project list, most likely to be compiled by county commissioners.
Here’s more from the county about the process behind getting public feedback for the M-SPLOST, as it’s being called:
Because of recent changes in Georgia law, the county has the option to ask the public to approve one or two referenda for additional sales tax revenues. The public was asked to provide opinions on these two sales tax options and possible project combinations during the CobbForward Comprehensive Transportation Plan update (in progress). The Cobb County Board of Commissioners has asked for additional public input to help refine the policy direction and funding packages for each option.
The purpose of this town hall is to provide information on Cobb Mobility SPLOST, including:
How this differs from the SPLOST referendum approved by voters in November 2020
The referenda options available
Initial investment options identified based on data and public input from the 2021 Comprehensive Transportation Plan Update (in progress)
Public involvement opportunities to provide input on these options
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The World Series is bringing with it an expanded transit service this weekend. CobbLinc will operate additional trips for Route 10, Route 25, and the Circulator on Friday, Oct. 29, Saturday, Oct. 30, and Sunday, Oct. 31. Routes 10 and 25 will run additional outbound trips and a sweeper trip as described below. For complete routes and maps, go to http://cobbcounty.org/…/cobblinc-service-adjustments…
Route 10
Additional outbound trip: Midnight from Marietta Transfer Center ending at MARTA Arts Center Station at 12:51 a.m.
Additional outbound trip: 12:30 a.m. from Marietta Transfer Center ending at MARTA Arts Center Station at 1:17 a.m.
Sweeper split-trip: earliest departure 2:15 a.m. (possibly later due to traffic) from Cumberland Transfer Center
One bus will go to Marietta Transfer Center
A second bus will go to MARTA Arts Center Station
Route 25
CobbLinc Circulator Route Map. For a larger view click here.
Additional outbound trip: Midnight from Cumberland Transfer Center ending at MARTA H.E. Holmes Station at 1:20 a.m.
Sweeper trip: earliest departure 2:15 a.m. (possibly later due to traffic) from Cumberland Transfer Center
Circulator
The Circulator will operate a combined route prior to 5 p.m.
The Circulator Blue and Green routes will be operating according to the normal printed schedules starting at 5 p.m.
Circulator Blue – runs continuously/frequency depends on traffic
The first trip pull out: 5 p.m. at Cumberland Transfer Center
The last trip ends: 1:50 a.m. at Cumberland Transfer Center
Service ends at 1:50 a.m.
Circulator Green – runs continuously/frequency depends on traffic
The first trip pull out: 5 p.m. at Cumberland Transfer Center
The last trip ends: 2:15 a.m. at Windy Hill Road and Powers Ferry Road/Hyatt Regency
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UPDATED, SATURDAY, OCT. 30: Richardson’s office sent out a message Friday evening that the town hall meeting has been cancelled and that it will be rescheduled.
From the office of District 2 Cobb commissioner Jerica Richardson:
Join us on Nov. 2 from 6 – 8 p.m., for our Cobb Mobility SPLOST Town Hall at the Sewell Mill Library & Cultural Center amphitheater. It is located at 2051 Lower Roswell Rd, Marietta, GA 30068.
The purpose of this town hall is to provide information on Cobb Mobility SPLOST, including:
• How this differs from the SPLOST referendum approved by voters in November 2020 • The referenda options available • Initial investment options identified based on data and public input from the 2021 Comprehensive Transportation Plan Update (in progress) • Public involvement opportunities to provide input on these options
Some background:
A call for a Cobb Mobility SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) referendum for November 2022 is being considered by the Cobb Board of Commissioners.
Like the existing Cobb government SPLOST approved by voters in 2022 and Cobb school SPLOST to be voted on Nov. 2, this sales tax would also charge one-percent on a purchase, but only to fund transit projects, for a maximum of 30 years.
Local jurisdictions also can impose a one-percent sales tax for up to five years for surface transportation projects. In Cobb that’s being done under the county government SPLOST.
In 2012, Cobb voters soundly rejected an Atlanta regional transportation sales tax (called a T-SPLOST).
Public transit in East Cobb is sparse compared to the rest of the county; the only CobbLinc service is along Powers Ferry Road, connecting Marietta to the Cumberland area. A bus line from Marietta to Sandy Springs was eliminated in the 2009 recession due to low ridership.
The county information sheet on the Cobb Mobility SPLOST indicated that it is expected to be drafted in January 2022, followed by an estimate of generated revenue and the development of a project list, most likely to be compiled by county commissioners.
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The Cumberland Community Improvement District and the Georgia Department of Transportation held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new access ramp to the Northwest Corridor Express Lanes.
The new ramp begins at Akers Mill Road and is the newest of 12 access points for the express lanes. This particular project will provide an exit for the southbound express lanes in the morning and as a northbound entrance ramp in the evening. It is expected to substantially improve regional mobility and will continue to provide travel time savings.
The Cumberland CID and its state, regional and county partners, including Georgia Department of Transportation, State Road & Tollway Authority, Atlanta Regional Commission and Cobb County each committed significant funding for the completion of the Akers Mill Ramp Phase II project, and the INFRA grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation completes the final funding needed for the project.
This Akers Mill Ramp represents a true public-private partnership. The leadership of Cobb County’s Congressional delegation to advance this project reflects their support for vital transportation projects that positively impact the residents of Cobb County and the greater Atlanta region.
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If you travel on Sewell Mill Road in the mid-afternoon, be advised that for about an hour or so Friday a portion of it will be used for the Walton High School homecoming parade.
The parade route will be on Sewell Mill between Old Canton Road to Bill Murdock Road from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The homecoming procession starts at Temple Kol Emeth (Sewell Mill at Old Canton), then heads eastbound to Bill Murdock and south to the Walton campus.
After those festivities conclude, a big crowd is expected at Raider Valley, and not just because it’s homecoming. The football game will feature a Class 7A Top 10 showdown between the No. 6 Raiders (4-1) and the No. 3 North Cobb Warriors (5-1).
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Cobb Police said a motorcyclist was killed Sunday afternoon in a collision with a car at the intersection of Roswell Road and East Lake Parkway in East Cobb.
Officer Shenise Barner said in a release that Kathrynne L. Lynch, 28, of Marietta, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said Lynch was riding a red 2003 Kawasaki VN1600 motorcycle at 2:32 p.m. Sunday, heading west on Roswell Road in a left lane.
A tan 2005 Toyota Sienna was heading east on Roswell Road when it veered into the path of the motorcycle, causing a collision, according to police.
Police said the motorcycle came to a stop in the intersection, and the rider was ejected, landing nearby. The Toyota, police said, stopped in a parking lot on East Lake Parkway.
The driver of the Toyota was identified by police as Maria G. Razo-Tierrafria, 48, of Marietta. She and a juvenile passenger were not injured, according to police, who said Lynch’s next of kin have been notified.
Police said the crash remains under investigation and that anyone with information is asked to call Cobb Police investigators at 770-499-3987.
ORIGINAL REPORT:
Roswell Road westbound between Barnes Mill Road and Robinson Road West is being blocked off by police after an accident.
We drove by shortly after 3 p.m. and saw emergency vehicles and investigators in the intersection (entrance to East Lake Shopping Center). There was an overturned motorcycle and a body next to it, covered.
Westbound traffic was backed up to East Piedmont Road.
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If your Friday morning traffic commute involves the intersection of Johnson Ferry and Lower Roswell roads, you’re advised to get through there before 9 a.m.
That’s when Cobb DOT is closing some southbound Johnson Ferry lanes and eastbound Lower Roswell lanes for water leak repairs.
The leaking has been located on an eastbound lane of Lower Roswell right at the Johnson Ferry intersection
A county government message sent out Thursday night said the time estimated to complete the repairs isn’t known.
We’ll provide updates during the day as we get them.
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The Willeo Creek Bridge, as we noted this spring, had a tentative reopening date of Sept. 29—Wednesday—after closing in June for a full replacement.
But Cobb DOT recently sent out this message, and later updated it to say that the new estimated date for reopening is now Dec. 20:
“Baldwin Paving Company, Inc., the contractor for the Willeo Road over Willeo Creek project, has encountered challenges during construction of this project which have resulted in significant delays. Therefore, the contractor will be unable to reopen the bridge to traffic on September 29, 2021 as the county previously expected.
“The county is pursuing every option to expedite this project and the safe reopening of the bridge to traffic as soon as possible. At this time, the contractor has not provided a firm date for reopening the bridge.”
Cobb government spokesman Ross Cavitt said that the delays have been caused in part due to “bad weather and unexpected conditions under the bridge. They are considerably behind their timeline.”
As noted in our earlier stories, the best detour option for now if you need to get to that area of Roswell is to go east on Roswell Road, then south on Willeo Road.
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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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A Georgia 511 traffic screenshot of the lane closures on I-75 northbound above Roswell Road.
Marietta Police are urging motorists not to use Interstate 75 north at Roswell Road Sunday afternoon after an accident shut down three left lanes.
Police issued an alert around 12:30 p.m. saying the clean-up would take between 5 and 8 hours, and that the lane closures were necessary to make repairs.
“A hole in this overpass has closed the #3 lane from the left wall and will require a detour of traffic” for several hours, the alert read, suggesting use of the North or Marietta Parkway as alternate routes.
Georgia 511 camera footage shows backups on I-75 north to I-285, and even some of the detour routes are starting to back up, including Roswell Road at Cobb Parkway.
Northhbound traffic on I-75 north at Delk Road is heavily backed up.
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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.
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.
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.
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The bridge connecting the Timber Ridge Road-Lower Roswell Road roundabout in East Cobb with Willeo Road in Roswell is closing on Tuesday, June 1, and is expected to reopen on Sept. 29.
That’s the latest from Cobb DOT, which is overhauling the 60-year bridge in a joint project with the City of Roswell at a cost of more than $3 million.
The wider bridge will include room for cyclists and pedestrians, linking existing sidewalks and trails between Willeo Road and Lower Roswell Road.
The area is heavily used in the summers for recreational facilities along the Chattahoochee River, and the City of Roswell has drawn up a detour map.
Willeo Road will be fully opened east of Bywater Trail, which is just east of Willeo Creek.
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Roadwork is expected to cause delays on Sandy Plains Road Weather permitting, the Cobb County Water System will continue making warranty repairs to the roadway on Sandy Plains Road between Piedmont and Ebenezer Thursday, May 20, and Friday, May 21. Work will involve temporary lane closures in the northbound direction beginning in the morning at approximately 9 a.m.
All lane closures will be removed before 4 p.m. each day.
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