If your vehicle registration was due to expire between March 16 and June 14, you’ll have some extra time to renew it, depending on the expiration date.
This week the Georgia Department of Revenue announced that the extension applies to “all annual registrations, including personal passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, vehicles registered in the International Registration Plan (IRP), and temporary operating permits (TOPs) issued at the time of a vehicle purchase.”
“While I have extended this deadline to give Georgians more time to register a new vehicle or renew current vehicle registrations, I strongly encourage taxpayers, especially those whose registrations were originally due in March and April, to register or renew as soon as possible and not wait until June 15th,” Georgia Revenue Commissioner David Curry said.
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A waterlogged intersection in Northeast Cobb that was closed last month after heavy rains is shut down again.
Cobb County’s communications office sent a message Thursday afternoon that Keheley Road is closed at Eula Drive for the time being, as another bout of rainy weather is slated to move out of the area.
The water from the rains is running over from a privately-owned late into the intersection.
It’s near Keheley Elementary School, but the closure isn’t affecting related traffic. However, the county’s message said the solution involves negotiating with the lake owner.
The message said the county will monitor water levels before reopening the intersection. Residents aren’t being cut off but some may have to use a detour.
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The Cobb County School District doesn’t have classes this week due to the winter break, but extracurricular activities have been cancelled Friday until noon due to the possibility of icy weather overnight.
CCSD employees who are not on winter break do not have to report to work until noon Friday.
Activities taking place this week involve athletics, winter camps and clubs at some schools. Events scheduled after noon on Friday will be held.
Johnson Ferry Christian Academy announced late Thursday afternoon that all Friday classes and after-school activities are cancelled.
The Thursday night forecast called for continuing rain and low temperatures around or below freezing.
Cobb is included in a special advisory issued by the National Weather Service in Atlanta that warns about the possibility of black ice on the roads overnight.
Cobb County government issued the following message about 3:45 p.m. Thursday:
With wet roads, soaked soil, and diving temperatures, the National Weather Service is warning of a “higher than normal” chance of black ice overnight and during the Friday AM rush hour. Cobb DOT has crews on standby and trucks loaded to handle any calls that come in. Report dangerous situations to 911, and use extreme caution especially when driving in the dark.
The county also announced that MUST Ministries in Marietta will open its Loaves & Fishes kitchen (55 Elizabeth Church Road, Marietta) at 8 p.m. Thursday for women and children seeking shelter. Men will be referred to the nearby Extension.
Icy and snowy advisories were issued earlier for the mountains of North Georgia.
Heavy rains have poured all day on Thursday in Cobb and metro Atlanta. By mid-afternoon, the temperature reached 40, and the rain is forecast to end by Thursday night.
But there’s a 50 percent chance of rain by early evening Thursday, and overnight lows Thursday and into Friday could dip down to 30 or lower.
The sun is forecast to arrive by mid-morning Friday, but it will be cold all day, with highs only in the mid-40s.
Friday night lows will be even colder, in the mid-20s, before a sunny Saturday, with highs expected in the mid 50s.
Sunday also will be in the mid-50s and partly cloudy, before the rain returns Monday and Tuesday to greet students and teachers as they return to school.
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Cobb County government sent this out Friday morning, along with the map above:
Beginning Monday, February 17, contractors will be performing soil borings on Willeo Road at the Willeo Creek bridge. Drilling will take place daily from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. through February 21.
This work will require a single lane closure of the bridge either northbound or southbound. Drivers should expect delays during this time and reduced speed through the work zones. Drivers are encouraged to avoid this area and consider alternative routes if possible.
This work is being conducted as part of the Willeo Road over Willeo Creek bridge replacement project. Construction for this project is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2021.
Any questions can be directed to Scott Brunner, City of Roswell Traffic Engineer, at sbrunner@roswellgov.com.
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Cobb County government said Sunday that there will be intermittent lane closures from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday along Sandy Plains Road, between Piedmont Road and Ebenezer Road.
That’s due to pavement marking activities. The temporary closures will not involve northbound and southbound lanes at the same time.
The county message said if the work isn’t done by 3 p.m. Monday the work will continue on Tuesday.
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Here’s what Cobb County was sharing around 1 p.m. Friday about the cleanup of roads and parks after the heavy rains the last couple days:
All Cobb parks have opened except Noonday Creek Park and some fields in Fullers Park that have experienced flooding issues.
Parks crews are clearing debris at East Cobb Park, Sandy Plains Park and others.
The only road that remains closed is Keheley Road, in northeast Cobb, north of Shallowford Road and at Eula Drive (in photo), because of water spilling over onto the road.
Cobb Police said late Thursday that that stretch of Keheley Road may be closed for a few days while cleanup continues.
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Cobb Police just issued a notice that a stretch of Sandy Plains Road near Scufflegrit Road is closed because of a gas leak.
The portion of Sandy Plains that is shut down in both directions is between Broussard Way and Rosebriar Drive, both residential streets, and the closure could last for several hours.
Police and fire crews are on the scene. The closest alternates are Canton Road and the Canton Road Connector to the west and Scufflegrit Road and Piedmont Road to the east.
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Georgia gas prices declined at the pump compared to a week ago. Georgia motorists are now paying an average price of $2.30 per gallon for regular unleaded gasoline. Monday’s state average is 7 cents less than a week ago, 14 cent less than last month, and 16 cents more than this time last year.
It now costs $34.50 to fill a 15-gallon tank of gasoline; that is $6.60 less than what motorists paid in April of 2019, when pump prices hit their peak of $2.74 per gallon.
“Increased total domestic stocks of gasoline have helped to ease pump price,” said Montrae Waiters, spokeswoman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Typically, we see lower demand during this time of year. When combined with higher stock levels, pump prices usually decrease in response.”
Rising Gas Stocks Put Downward Pressure on Winter Pump Prices
The national gas price average is $2.47, which is 5 cents cheaper than last week, 11 cents less than last month, and 22 cents more than a year ago. Gas prices have continued to drop over the last week as gasoline stocks grew again, measuring at 260 million barrels– the highest stock level ever recorded by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) since it began recording the data in 1990. EIA estimates that demand grew slightly from 8.56 million b/d to 8.66 million b/d. However, the current rate is lower than last year’s 8.87 million b/d at this time.
Regional Prices:
Atlanta ($2.31)
Most expensive Georgia metro markets –Brunswick ($2.43), Hinesville-Fort Stewart ($2.42), and Savannah ($2.38).
Least expensive Georgia metro markets – Catoosa-Dade-Walker ($2.19), Dalton ($2.20), and Rome ($2.21).
Click here to view current gasoline price averages
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Cobb County government is sending out this message today:
Cobb Department of Transportation crews opened the new roundabout at Post Oak Tritt and Hembree Roads in time for the Monday morning rush hour. The $1.5 million project is designed to improve traffic flow through the area and also includes enhanced lighting and brings sidewalks up to modern ADA standards.
Traffic might be slow in the area due to the changes in flow, so please drive carefully. More information on roundabouts can be found here.
The roundabout was scheduled to have been completed in July, but Cobb DOT requested and was granted a delay from the Cobb Board of Commissioners in July due to what were cited as weather and utility relocation delays.
The original cost of the project also was pegged at $1.3 million.
The roundabout was built at a busy intersection that previously had only a stop sign for drivers turning left or right from Hembree onto Post Oak Tritt.
It’s also located close to a roundabout opened in the fall of 2017 at Pope High School on Hembree Road.
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As we all know, the northern portion of Interstate-285 is one of the most heavily-traveled and congested highways in the country. Georgia Department of Transportation staff seeks to improve traffic flow and safety with the Major Mobility Investment Program.
You are invited to GDOT public information open house meetings Jan. 23-30 to discuss the I-285 Top End Express LanesandI-285 Advanced Improvement Projects. The open houses in Cobb will be held noon-2 p.m. and 4:30-7:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 30, at the Gallery at Cobb Galleria. These are important projects in our area and residents should attend to provide their input.
The open houses will discuss proposed improvements for the northern I-285 corridor including: the I-285 Top End Express Lanes and three of the six I-285 Advanced Improvement Projects: I-285 Westbound Auxiliary Lane Extension, the I-285 Westbound Collector-Distributor Lanes and the I-285/Peachtree Industrial Boulevard Interchange Improvements.
Meeting information:
Thursday, Jan. 23 Noon – 2 p.m. 4:30 – 7:30 p.m. City Springs, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs
Tuesday, Jan. 28 Noon – 2 p.m. 4:30 – 7:30 p.m. St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church, 1978 Mt. Vernon Road, Dunwoody
Thursday, Jan. 30 Noon – 2 p.m. 4:30 – 7:30 p.m. The Gallery at Cobb Galleria, 1 Galleria Parkway Southeast, Atlanta
Georgia DOT also released today the following visualization of what the project may look like when it’s complete:
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Cobb County government is saying Saturday night that thunderstorms that came through late this afternoon have left some roads blocked by trees.
Those roads include portions of Old Canton Road, Post Oak Tritt Road, Bill Murdock Road, Casteel Road and Bishop Lake Road.
A message sent out by the county around 7:30 p.m. Saturday wasn’t more specific, except to say that it was responding to at least two dozen calls, and likely more, around Cobb.
The county said Cobb police and fire/rescue crews that have responded thus far haven’t reported any injuries.
Cobb EMC is updating its power outage map (see above), which as of 8:30 p.m. included some locations in East Cobb. The biggest cluster was in the Terrell Mill/Powers Ferry area, with nearly 500 outages reported.
More than 200 outages were reported in an area around Lower Roswell Road and the South Marietta Parkway, around 30 off Canton Road near Morgan Road, and 20 or so off Lower Roswell, east of Johnson Ferry Road.
Georgia Power showed some outages on its map around the Noonday area, also around 8:30 p.m. Saturday.
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On Friday morning Paper Mill Road was closed at Old Paper Mill for several hours after being affected by flooding following the heavy rains Thursday.
Cobb County government said Old Paper Mill Road was reopened to traffic around 10:30 a.m., as work crews on the scene cleared out debris pushed into the drainage system by the rain.
Another road with flooding issues is Willow Point Parkway, between Lower Roswell Road and Little Willeo Road (see map above).
If you know of any roads that are experiencing flooding, please let us know by e-mailing: editor@eastcobbnews.com.
The National Weather Service in Atlanta said a flood watch remains in effect for extreme northwest Georgia, but that continued rain Friday will continue to present flood hazards in most of north and central Georgia.
Cobb is included in its hazardous weather outlook through Friday afternoon and into Friday evening, when the rain is expected to taper off.
Friday’s highs are expected in the lower 60s, with an 80 percent chance of showers and patchy fog.
The chance of rain is 60 percent tonight, and down to 40 percent on Saturday, with highs in the mid 50s.
Temperatures are expected to be near freezing on Saturday night, with partly cloudy skies.
The sun will return on Sunday, with highs in the mid 50s, with lows Sunday night in the mid 30s.
More sun will greet the first full week of the new year on Monday, with highs also in the mid 50s, but rain is in the forecast on Tuesday.
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A revised senior-living proposal would have primary access on Sandy Plains Road (bottom right in the rendering).
Imagine that the primary means of access into your neighborhood is performing a U-turn across two lanes of traffic on Sandy Plains Road, then making a quick right turn onto your residential street just below the intersection of Ebenezer Road.
Some Cobb commissioners were aghast at a revised proposal by Traton Homes that would call such a deft (daring, even) piece of driving at a Tuesday zoning hearing, and that Cobb DOT concurred.
They voted instead to delay the case until their February zoning hearing.
“I have serious concerns about any access from Sandy Plains,” commissioner Bob Ott said. “I don’t know how you allow U-turns there.”
After getting a favorable recommendation from the Cobb Planning Commission earlier this month for a proposed 31-home senior-living community, Traton attorney Kevin Moore presented a revised site plan that provided main access along Sandy Plains.
Under the revision, residents heading southbound on Sandy Plains would make a simple right turn into the community from a deceleration lane.
But residents traveling northbound on Sandy Plains would have complete a U-turn that Cobb DOT transportation engineer Amy Diaz said was doable.
“You’re kidding me?” Cobb commission chairman Mike Boyce said. “You’re asking for trouble.”
He said the U-turn “may be difficult, but you know drivers.”
The blue star is the proposed senior-living development, with U-turn access indicated in red at the Sandy Plains-Ebenezer intersection.
The initial application called for sole access on Ebenezer Road, close to the Sandy Plains intersection, which Cobb DOT indicated would be problematic, as did some residents living in the adjacent Kerry Creek subdivision.
Traton’s new submission includes right-in access southbound along Ebenezer into the development, and a right-out exit to turn northbound on Sandy Plains.
Diaz said a senior-living development typically yields less traffic than other residential subdivisions, and there had been “no safety red flags at Sandy Plains at that location” to recommend against a U-turn.
But members of the nearby Sandy Plains Baptist Church, located just below the 10-acre tract sought by Traton, said the new traffic plans would have a detrimental effect.
They’re not against the development and had no problem with Ebenezer Road access, but Sandy Plains Road access would affect more than Sunday worship traffic. The church also has a preschool during weekdays.
“It’s been said that the previous plan was dangerous,” said Edward England, a church deacon. “Sandy Plains Road is much more dangerous than Ebenezer.”
The proposal comes as major road construction along Sandy Plains between Piedmont and Ebenezer roads is due to be completed this month.
“I know DOT said that’s a good alternative,” church leader Walter Stevens said, referring to Sandy Plains access, “but I’m telling you it’s not. I think this is a bad alternative to what was originally proposed.”
Boyce said he thought the U-turn proposal was “trying to make a traffic pattern fit a development. This just doesn’t fit.”
Commissioner JoAnn Birrell, who represents the area, made the motion to hold the application. It won’t be heard until February, since commissioners don’t consider rezoning cases in January.
Moore said “we’ll have to take a look at” whatever would be proposed as a traffic alternative, but he reminded commissioners that other types of residential zoning on that land would result in more vehicles on Sandy Plains.
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A couple months back we posted about dynamic speed display signs that were proposed—and later approved—along part of Holly Springs Road.
Cobb DOT is proposing another set of the flashing signs—designed to get you to slow to the actual speed limit—along the entirety of Mabry Road.
It’s an agenda item before the Cobb Board of Commissioners, which is meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, instead of its usual 7 p.m. Tuesday evening meeting, because of the holidays.
The Monday meeting takes place in the second floor board room of the Cobb government building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.
It’s also the only business meeting of the month for the commissioners, who will have their usual monthly zoning hearing Tuesday at 9 a.m.
The Holly Springs Road flashing signs, those proposed for Mabry Road are because enough traffic is traveling at least 10 mph above the posted speed limit of 35 mph to warrant the warning signals (details here).
The cost is not to exceed $6,000 for the two flashing signs, which will be posted in both north and south directions.
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Cobb County Police said shortly after noon today that Mabry Road is closed for the time being between Georgia Highway 92 (Woodstock Road) and Mystique Landing and Durwent Drive due to a gas leak.
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To ease Thanksgiving traffic congestion statewide, Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) announced today the suspension of construction-related lane closures on heavily traveled interstate highways and state routes from 6 a.m. Wednesday, November 27 to 5 a.m. Monday, December 2. The statewide lane restrictions allow commuters work-zone free travel and reduced traffic congestion during the Thanksgiving Holiday. Similar restrictions will be in place for Christmas and New Year’s.
The heaviest traffic is expected to be in Buckhead and the northern Perimeter Wednesday through Friday. Click the following links below to view the complete Thanksgiving week travel forecasts:
“In order to provide a safer and less congested roadway, we are limiting construction-related lane closures,” said Georgia DOT State Construction Engineer John D. Hancock. “We anticipate heavy traffic statewide while people are visiting their friends and family, as well as shopping during Black Friday.”
Motorists visiting the downtown area should expect a considerable amount of traffic as many holiday festivals and events are taking place throughout the weekend. Thursday is the annual Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon & 5K at Georgia State Stadium (formerly Turner Field) and Saturday Georgia Tech will play the University of Georgia at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
“We typically see an increase in roadway fatalities during the holidays,” Hancock said. “I urge drivers to put down your cell phones, be alert and make sure you and your passengers buckle-up. Let’s make this a happy Thanksgiving for all.”
While the road closures will be suspended, the department reminds travelers to exercise caution as crews may still work near highways, and safety concerns may require some long-term lane closures to remain in place. In addition, incident management or emergency, maintenance-related lane closures could become necessary at any time on any route.
For up-to-date information about travel conditions on Georgia’s interstates and state routes, call 511 or visit www.511ga.org before heading out. 511 is a free service that provides real-time statewide information on Georgia’s interstates and state routes, including traffic conditions, incidents, lane closures, and delays due to inclement weather 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Callers can also transfer to operators to request HERO assistance in metro Atlanta or CHAMP service on highways in other regions of the state.
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Road construction work is backing up Johnson Ferry Road this morning at the Post Oak Tritt intersection, and Cobb DOT is reporting southbound delays are going back as far as Lassiter Road.
Traffic is reduced to one lane southbound, and there’s not an ETA on when both lanes will be open.
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If you use the lower portion of Holly Springs Road, some flashing speed signs designed to get you to slow down will be coming to your commute soon.
The Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved spending $6,000 to install two signs along Holly Springs Road, one in each direction, between Old Canton Road and Sewell Mill Road, at a time to be determined.
The measure was approved on the commissioners’ consent agenda, so there wasn’t any discussion.
In an agenda item information provided ahead of the meeting (read it here), Cobb DOT said the dynamic signs, like the one shown above on Indian Hills Parkway, “have shown some effectiveness for speed reductions.”
Cobb began installing flashing display signs after commissioners approved a Dynamic Speed Display Sign policy in 2016. Roads that have an 85th percentile speed of 10 miles over the posted speed limit and average daily traffic counts of 1,000 vehicles or more a day on local roads and 2,000 trips or more on collector roads qualify for the signs.
The 85th percentile speed is a common guideline used by transportation agencies, and it’s generally described as a speed at which 85 percent of drivers would not exceed in traveling in “free flow conditions.”
As drivers approach the sign, they see the posted speed limit, and a flashing sign indicating their vehicle speed.
The posted speed limit on that hilly, curvy section of Holly Springs, classified as a collector road, is 35 mph. Cobb DOT says traffic speed and volume data shows that stretch of the road has an 85th percentile speed of 46 mph and an average daily traffic of 9,379 vehicles per day.
Cobb DOT said maintenance costs for the signs are expected to be no more than $800 a year.
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This just in from Cobb County government: Mabry Road is closed north of Shallowford Road due to a gas main break.
There aren’t many details yet but the alert said the closure could last for several hours.
We’ll update here when we get more information.
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If you travel on East Piedmont Road between Roswell Road and Allgood Road, be advised that overnight repaving is underway and will continue into the fall.
Repaving vehicles are parked along the road by the East Cobb YMCA along a stretch of East Piedmont where the top coat has been removed, so it’s slow and rough going there for vehicles in southbound lanes.
The repaving work, which began earlier this month, takes place Sundays-Fridays from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. and one lane of traffic will remain open. The estimated time for the end of the project is late November, according to Cobb DOT.
Other ongoing resurfacing and road construction work in East Cobb includes the following:
McPherson Road from Post Oak Tritt Road to Shallowford Road, with lane closures in effect Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through the end of October;
Kemp Road from Jamerson Road to Trickum Road, lane closures M-F 9-4 through the end of November;
Sidewalk additions on the west side of Chimney Lakes Drive from Revere Circle to Bishop Lake, lane closures M-F 9-4 through mid-November;
Roundabout construction at Hembree Road and Post Oak Tritt Road, lane closures M-F 9-4 through the end of March 2020 (ECN coverage here);
Construction work on Sandy Plains Road between Piedmont Road and Kinjac Road, lane closures M-F 9-4 through the end of December (ECN coverage here);
Construction work on Sandy Plains Road between Kinjac Road and Ebenezer Road, lane closures Sat-Fri 6a-3p and Mon-Sun 7p-5a through the end of December;
Construction work at Blackwell Road and Autumn Ridge Parkway, lane closures M-F 9-4 through May 2020;
Construction work at Canton Road and Liberty Hill Road, lane closures M-F 9-4 through Jan. 2020.
For more information and detailed maps of those projects, and to check other ongoing construction and lane closures, visit Cobb Commute.
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