Cobb DOT Archives

Cobb DOT accepting comments on Lower Roswell Road project

April 6, 2021 8:11 AM by Wendy Parker

Submitted information:

The Cobb County Department of Transportation is hosting an open house web page to inform the public, take input and answer questions concerning planned improvements on Lower Roswell Road through April 30. Please note there is no scheduled event or presentation related to this open house.

The page, located at https://www.cobbcounty.org/lower-roswell, includes detailed information about the construction to provide safety and operational improvements to Lower Roswell Road from Woodlawn Drive to Davidson Road through a combination of intersection improvements, a raised median, bicycle lanes and sidewalks. The project is paid for through the 2011 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax.

Comments and questions regarding this project should be submitted in writing to karyn.matthews@cobbcounty.org or mailed to Cobb DOT, Attn: Lower Roswell Road Project No. E6020, 1890 County Services Parkway, Marietta, GA 30008. For hand written comments, please download the optional comment card here: https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/…/E6020_Lower_Rowell….

Lower Roswell Road virtual open house

The purpose of this virtual open house is to provide the public with an opportunity to view the concept being advanced and to express their interest and questions. The information provided below is the same as would be provided at an in-person open house. This information will be available for review through April 30, 2021. Please note that there is no scheduled event or presentation related to this open house.Comments and questions regarding this project should be submitted in writing to karyn.matthews@cobbcounty.org or mailed to Cobb DOT, Attn: Lower Roswell Road Project No. E6020, 1890 County Services Parkway, Marietta, GA 30008. For hand written comments, please download the optional comment card.

The deadline for comments is April 30, 2021.

Offline materials will be made available to the public for pick up at the East Cobb Library, 4880 Lower Roswell Rd suite 510-B, Marietta, GA 30068 through April 30, 2021. This packet will include a letter thanking the public for their interest and providing details on how to submit comments, the project fact sheet, a hard copy of the concept (11×17), and an open-comment card. The public can obtain the information packet during normal library hours. These materials are also available for download below. Please note that the East Cobb Library has limited operational hours due to the pandemic. Please call 770-509-2730 to verify library hours of operation.

Sandy Plains Road northbound lane closures begin Monday

August 17, 2019 7:54 AM by Wendy Parker

Sandy Plains Road lane closures

The next phase of the Sandy Plains Road improvement project continues Monday, and it’s going to make a congested stretch just above Piedmont Road even more bottlenecked. That’s because road closures will be in effect for water relocation work.

That’s the word coming late Friday afternoon from Cobb government, which issued a “significant traffic advisory” for northbound lanes between Ebenezer Road and Post Oak Tritt Road.

One northbound lane will be closed between 6 am. and 3 p.m. daily for an indefinite time.

Earlier this week Cobb commissioners approved a change order to delay completion of the project to December (it was supposed to have wrapped up in July) due to utility relocation and weather issues.

The delay won’t cost any extra money, but will result in a few months’ more worth of traffic headaches for motorists.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Completion of Sandy Plains Road improvement project delayed

August 8, 2019 2:28 PM by Wendy Parker

The Sandy Plains Road improvements that continue between Piedmont Road and Ebenezer Road were expected to be finished next month. But that work may not be done until December.

Cobb DOT has an agenda item on next Tuesday’s Board of Commissioners meeting asking for a change order to extend the work until Dec. 20. There is no additional cost involved.

The reasons are similar to what’s prompted a delay in finishing the roundabout at Post Oak Tritt Road and Hembree Road: Utility relocation issues with Atlanta Gas Light and inclement weather.

That project was to have been done by now, at the start of a new school year, but has been extended to next March.

The Sandy Plains Road project has had some other delays as well, not mentioned in Tuesday’s agenda item: In May there was an overnight shutdown of Sandy Plains at Ebenezer for emergency repairs due to a water main break caused by a construction truck hitting a fire hydrant.

There also was an overnight water outage on one side of Sandy Plains last month as part of the construction work.

The contract for the $4.4 million Sandy Plains construction project approved by commissioners in 2017 was awarded to C.W. Matthews Contracting Company, Inc., and includes a raised median, new crosswalks and pedestrian signals and resurfacing.

More on Tuesday’s commissioners meeting, which starts at 9 a.m. in the 2nd floor board room of the Cobb government building (100 Cherokee St., downtown Marietta):

Mabry Road water main replacement to begin in August

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Mabry Road water main replacement to begin in August

July 26, 2019 2:09 PM by Wendy Parker

Mabry Road water main replacement

If you live along the Mabry Road area, or use it, brace yourselves for the next eight months. The long-awaited water main replacement project is beginning in early August.

It’s going to replace most of the existing aging line along Mabry, starting around 500 feet below Woodstock Road and all the way down to Shallowford Road, except for a small stretch of Mabry between Loch Highland Parkway and Outpost Court (as noted by the red star; see the map inset below).

A new line has already gone in there, and it will soon be connected by replacement lines totalling 13,600 feet. An eight-inch pipe will run from Shallowford to Loch Highland Parkway, and a new six-inch line will be installed from Huntridge Drive to 4540 Mabry Road.

Commissioner Bob Ott’s office sent out word Friday that construction south of the dam at Loch Highland will be on the west side of Mabry, in the shoulder and turn lanes.

North of the dam, the work will be on the east side under the sidewalk. At times, that sidewalk will be closed as the new lines are installed.

Mabry Road water main replacement

No pipes will be laid in the travel lanes along Mabry, but there will be occasional lane closures. Those generally will take place Monday-Friday from 9-4 or as otherwise publicized.

Ott’s office also said there may be some brief water outages in subdivision along or served by the Mabry lines and that he will put out notices and have signs in the area with details when that happens.

The work is tentatively scheduled for completion by the end of February 2020.

The $2.575 million project (fact sheet here) is being funded out of Cobb Water System Agency revenues. The contractor is Wade Coots Co. of Hiram.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Vintage Lower Roswell Road home torn down at Woodlawn Drive

May 16, 2019 1:23 PMMay 14, 2019 10:24 AM by Wendy Parker

1930s Lower Roswell Road home — *A photo of the former Wilce Frasier home taken over the winter, as the land was put up for sale. (ECN file)*

One of the older buildings in East Cobb stands no more. A home more than 100 years old and located at 4658 Lower Roswell Road, at Woodlawn Drive, has been demolished by Cobb County government, which has had plans for several years to rework the intersection.

The demolition of the home and two smaller structures behind it took place following an expedited decision granted by Cobb commissioners on April 30 to County Manager Rob Hosack, at a cost of $18,625.

A low bid for the demolition work was awarded to Tucker Grading & Hauling, with the funds coming from the 2011 Cobb SPLOST account, according to a memo to Hosack from Cobb DOT Director Erica Parish and dated Tuesday.

The demolition was necessary, according to the memo, because the properties were in poor condition and trespassing had been taking place there.

On Tuesday, commissioners “ratified” the decision to tear down the buildings by a 4-0 vote. Commissioner Bob Ott of East Cobb was absent. The memo was included as an agenda item.

The home had been vacant since Jan. 2018, when the homeowner, Wilce Frasier Jr., died at the age of 93. According to deed records with the Cobb County Superior Court Clerk’s office, Frasier had lived in the home since the early 1960s.

A family member, Lisa Frasier McCalvin, said the home dates from the late 1800s: “Wilce grew up in this house with his brothers and sisters . . . . it never left our family . . . . the memories I have of playing in that house are some of my fondest from my childhood.”

Wilce Frasier’s obituary noted that he was a Navy veteran during World War II and worked at Lockheed-Georgia for 30 years, and that he is buried at the Mt. Bethel church cemetery just around the corner on Johnson Ferry Road.

(After we posted this story, a reader passed along a link to a slideshow remembrance of Frasier.)

His heirs had been in negotiations with Cobb DOT regarding right-of-way for the intersection improvements. The 0.9 acres owned by Frasier, put up for sale over the winter, has been sold. It had been marketed for possible commercial use.

The intersection project is part of Lower Roswell Road improvements stretching from Woodlawn, across Johnson Ferry Road and to Davidson Road and is part of the 2011 SPLOST.

A contract for the project was approved in 2012 but the county still needs to make more right-of-way acquisitions.

The improvements at Lower Roswell and Woodlawn will include installing a median and additional turn lanes at a clogged intersection.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Holt Road safety improvements announced after Wheeler students were hit by car

April 2, 2019 5:44 PM by Wendy Parker

Holt Road safety improvements, Wheeler High School

Cobb DOT and the Cobb County School District said Tuesday they’ve drawn up a number of safety improvements that will be made on Holt Road in front of Wheeler High School following serious injuries to two students who were hit by a car.

The accident took place around 7 p.m. on a Saturday, March 9, as they were moving gym equipment in the crosswalk.

One student, Malik Spellman, is facing a long recovery after suffering multiple injuries. The other student has not been identified. The 73-year-old driver of the car who hit them has been issued traffic citations but was not charged with anything else.

According to Cobb County spokesman Ross Cavitt, here’s what’s going to happen on Holt Road, in front of Wheeler and the parking lot of the former East Cobb Middle School:

Installing a “rectangular rapid flashing beacon” device at the crosswalk, which would include a raised median providing a pedestrian refuge in the middle of the road. This is similar to a pedestrian crossing currently in place on Lower Roswell Road just outside of the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center.

Relocating the crosswalk away from a nearby side street and combine it with another crosswalk north of the current location.

Close an exit from a parking lot across from the high school near the crosswalk.

Install updated signage warning of the pedestrian crossing.

Upgrade street lighting in the vicinity of the relocated crosswalk.

Cavitt said the county government and school district will share in the costs, which haven’t been determined.

He said Cobb DOT was planning to conduct a pedestrian survey on Holt Road before the accident, with cameras and other devices recently installed.

Cobb DOT had planned a pedestrian survey on Holt Road before the incident happened. They installed cameras and other devices and are still studying the results.

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East Cobb traffic alert: Part of Paper Mill Road closed due to downed power lines

January 25, 2019 10:55 PMJanuary 25, 2019 4:21 PM by Wendy Parker

At 3:40 p.m. Friday Cobb DOT said Paper Mill Road between Woodlawn Drive and the Sope Creek Bridge will be closed to through traffic “for the next few hours” because of downed power lines.

Columns Drive remains closed as flash flood watch continues through Friday

January 3, 2019 1:33 PMJanuary 3, 2019 1:02 PM by Wendy Parker

Columns Drive closes

Another week, and another flash flood watch has been issued for Cobb, metro Atlanta and much of north Georgia. Last week’s rains closed Columns Drive in East Cobb, and it’s expected to remain closed through at least Friday.

That’s the word coming from Cobb DOT, which is still clearing out flooded areas along Columns Drive between Atlanta Country Club Drive and Willow Knoll Drive.

A message sent out this morning by Cobb commissioner Bob Ott said that Cobb DOT is working with contractors to pump out remaining water on Columns Drive, which borders along the Chattahoochee River and is mostly residential. It provides access points for several apartment complexes as well as trails in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.

“Please do not drive past the barricades, your interruption slows their effort in the area. And some drivers have caused private property damage by driving onto their neighbor’s yards,” Ott said.

Cobb will be under a flash flood watch starting at 7 p.m. Thursday through Friday evening. The National Weather Service is forecasting between 1-2 inches of rain, and possibly more in some areas. Those areas that were saturated with last week’s rains are more prone to flooding again.

The chance of rain Thursday is 70 percent, and 90 percent tonight and on Friday. The rain is supposed to taper off on Friday night and sunny skies will return on Saturday and through the weekend and into the first of next week.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb flash flood watch continues through Thursday morning

November 13, 2018 6:14 PM by Wendy Parker

Cobb flash flood watch

The rain lightened up on Tuesday, but more is expected before a flash flood watch is due to expire Thursday morning.

At 4 p.m Tuesday, the National Weather Service in Atlanta expanded the watch for most of central and north Georgia, including Cobb County.

The area under the watch could get between an inch to three inches of rain through Wednesday and into Thursday, worsening already-soggy conditions that include flooding of rivers, streams and some roads.

In Cobb, Sope Creek was flooding during Tuesday’s heavy rains, and some roads were affected.

Cobb DOT said today that the heavy rains were clogging drains, including an area of Davidson Road in East Cobb.

The possibility of more flooding of roads remains for the rest of the week, after the watch expires.

The NWS said another two or three inches of rain is possible on Wednesday, with the heaviest rainfall expected in the afternoon and evening.

In Cobb, the chance of rain will be between 60 to 100 percent on Wednesday, mainly after 11 a.m.

For now, the local forecast is between three-quarters of an inch to an inch of rain. On top of that, it’s going to get colder, with highs expected in the high 40s and lows Wednesday night in the high 30s.

The rain is expected to continue into Thursday morning, with a 60 percent chance of remain. Cold temperatures will linger, with highs only in the mid 40s and lows hovering near freezing Thursday night.

Friday is expected to be sunny and warmer, with highs in the low 50s, but wet conditions and flooded areas may not recede by then.

The rest of the weekend and the early part of next week also are forecast to be clear and warmer than this week.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb weather and traffic post-Michael: Several downed trees, some flooding

October 11, 2018 1:13 PM by Wendy Parker

Wednesday night’s heavy rains, the product of Hurricane Michael, produced around three inches across the county, according to an update sent out by Cobb government late this morning.

Cobb DOT crews were dealing with around a dozen downed trees, including one on Tondee Court in Northeast Cobb, and some flooding on roads that has been cleaned up.

There was a brief tornado warning in Cobb early Wednesday evening, mostly for the southern part of the county. Some estimates had around six inches of rain in the Powder Springs area.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for Powder Springs Creek, which was at 11 feet, what’s considered flood stage.

Cobb schools were in session as usual Thursday, after operations and transportation crews made a check of facilities and roads starting around 3 a.m. Schools were closing around the lunch hour and for the rest of the day for a previously scheduled early release for staff development.

Cobb DOT is urging motorists that if they approach a traffic signal that is not working, to treat the intersection as a four-way stop.

Georgia Power is saying that if you see a downed or low-hanging electric wire, don’t touch it. That includes cable TV lines. Instead call 1-888-891-0938 or dial 911 to report downed power lines.

Georgia Power is reporting only a small number of outages in metro Atlanta; most are in areas of south and central Georgia hit hard by hurricane-force winds as Michael moved up from the Florida Panhandle.

Cobb EMC was reporting only a small number of outages this morning.

A good bit of central and south Georgia was under a tropical storm warning and flash flood watch this morning as clean-up has gotten underway. Those warnings have been cancelled.

President Trump this morning declared a state of emergency for Georgia, meaning impacted areas could receive federal aid for clean-up. Gov. Deal declared a state of emergency for 108 counties before the storm hit.

The National Weather Service issued this information this morning:

Do not go sightseeing within impacted communities. Sightseers interfere with the emergency work of first responders.

When clearing out fallen trees, be careful with chainsaws and axes. Always wear protective gear and keep others at a safe distance. Leaning trees and those which have fallen on roofs or power lines can be especially dangerous. If you are not in good health or unsure about what you are doing, have someone with tree cutting experience do the job. Never cut trees without a partner.

The sun came out late this morning in Cobb, and some fall-like temperatures are expected for the rest of the week, with highs in the 70s.

Tonight’s lows could dip into the 40s.

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East Cobb traffic alert: Sandy Plains Road lane closures next week

September 22, 2018 11:43 AMSeptember 22, 2018 11:10 AM by Wendy Parker

Cobb DOT is reminding motorists about Sandy Plains Road lane closures that will be in effect next week:

Beginning Monday, Sept. 24, utility relocation work will reduce Sandy Plains Road to one lane for traffic traveling in both directions between Ebenezer Road and Kinjac Drive, north of Piedmont Road. The shift is expected to remain in place no later than Sunday, Sept. 30. However, completion of this work is dependent upon favorable weather conditions.

Signage and traffic control devices will be positioned to guide motorists. Drivers are advised to take Canton Road or Holly Springs Road and should reduce their speed and exercise caution in the area.

This utility work comes as part of a 2011 SPLOST road safety and operational improvements project for 8-mile-long Sandy Plains Road, where a raised median is present in all areas except between Kinjac Drive and Ebenezer Road. The project will add a median, as well as left and right turn lanes, to this road segment.

Piney Grove Creek bridge at Casteel Road has reopened

August 17, 2018 4:34 PM by Wendy Parker

Piney Grove Creek bridge

Cobb DOT reports (along with snapping the above photo) that the Piney Grove Creek bridge has reopened at the intersection of Casteel Road, Bill Murdock Road and Oak Lane.

Originally slated to open by the start of the school year, the reopening was delayed for a couple of weeks.

The expanded span includes a wider passage and sidewalks, as well as metal and stone guardrails, the project also includes a reconfigured intersection.

Casteel Road closure for bridge replacement continues into August

July 23, 2018 8:27 AMJuly 23, 2018 6:06 AM by Wendy Parker

Casteel Road bridge construction

A Casteel Road closure that’s been in place since the start of summer school vacation will be lasting into the start of a new school year.

Ongoing construction work to replace the aging Piney Grove Creek bridge means that Casteel Road will now be closed until Aug. 15.

Initially DOT had estimated a completion around July 31, since Cobb schools return on Aug. 1.

The $1.2 million project includes a wider passage on Casteel Road over the bridge, with shoulders, sidewalks and barriers on both sides, and a reconfiguration of its intersection with Bill Murdock Road and Oak Lane.

Through traffic on all three roads near the bridge site is being met with signs like the above, on Bill Murdock at Blakeford Club Drive.

A detour route prepared by Cobb DOT and mapped below continues to be in effect until the bridge work is done and the roads are reopened.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Cobb greenways and trails master plan approved; parks master plan delayed

July 5, 2018 7:23 PM by Wendy Parker

A Cobb greenways and trails master plan that would include extensions of the existing Johnson Ferry Trail and Noonday Creek Trail in East Cobb was approved last week by the Cobb Board of Commissioners.

The master plan, developed by Cobb DOT after more than a year of open houses and public feedback sessions, is the first for the county, and features the following components:

increasing connectivity between existing trails;
having trails in all six Cobb cities;
having 92 percent of all existing county parks within a mile of a trail;
having 57 percent of Cobb’s total population also within a mile of a trail.

The master plan also calls for eight “priority trail” projects, including the Johnson Ferry and Noonday Creek trails.

We posted back in April about the details of those proposals, which would add 3.3 miles from the Johnson Ferry Trail to Hyde Farm at an estimated cost between $4.3 million and $4.7 million.

The Noonday Creek extension would cover 3.6 miles almost to the Cherokee County line, at an estimated cost between $11.1 million and $12.2 million.

The approval of the Cobb greenways and trails master plan does not include any additional funding for any projects that may be developed. Those matters would be taken up separately.

Windy Hill-Terrell Mill Connector funding approved by Atlanta Regional Commission

June 27, 2018 5:29 PM by Wendy Parker

The Atlanta Regional Commission announced today that its board has approved $44 million in transportation funding for Cobb County, including the proposed Windy Hill-Terrell Mill connector.

The funding goes through 2023. The Windy Hill-Terrell Mill connector is a planned 0.8-mile, four-lane road with an eight-foot raised median designed to relieve traffic in a busy corridor near Interstate 75 (link to project fact sheet). The project also includes a multi-use trail connecting to the Bob Callan Trail System and the Chattahoochee River.

It’s also designed to feed into the new Northwest Corridor Express Lanes that open in August and that will include an entrance/exit point at I-75 and Terrell Mill Road.

Some living in multi-family buildings and condos have been forced from their homes to make way for the connector and have expressed their displeasure not only with that prospect, but also how it has been handled.

Northwest Corridor managed lanes slated for late summer opening

The projected costs for the connector are $38 million, with $22 million, mostly in Cobb SPLOST funds, for continuing right-of-way acquisitions and $15 million from state sources in 2020 for construction. That’s when construction is scheduled to begin, and is expected to conclude in early 2022.

Other Cobb projects on the ARC approval list include the South Barrett Parkway Reliever near Town Center, Phase I of the Mableton Parkway Trail and the creation of Sunday service and additional Saturday service for the CobbLINC bus system.

The Cobb projects approved today by the ARC were part of a $400 million transportation package in the metro Atlanta area to be spent over the next five years.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Holly Springs-Old Canton Road improvements subject of June 14 Cobb DOT open house

June 10, 2018 12:16 PMJune 5, 2018 5:30 PM by Wendy Parker

Holly Springs-Old Canton Road improvements, Cobb DOT

Next Thursday the Cobb Department of Transportation will hold an open house for citizens to learn about upcoming Holly Springs-Old Canton-Post Oak Tritt Road improvements.

The open house takes place on June 14 from 5-7 p.m. at the East Cobb Senior Center (3332 Sandy Plains Road).

There’s not going to be a formal presentation but Cobb DOT staff will be available to take questions from and provide information for citizens.

The project, paid for with around $2 million in 2016 SPLOST funds, will get underway this fall. It includes the construction of a roundabout at Holly Springs and Post Oak Tritt, along with raised median, and new curb, gutter and sidewalk work.

The initial formation sheet called for a roundabout at Old Canton and Holly Springs. Currently there is a traffic signal at Holly Springs and Post Oak Tritt.

That’s a much busier intersection than the other existing roundabouts in the Northeast Cobb area. The others are at Holly Springs and Davis Road, in front of Pope High School on Hembree Road and another that’s just under construction at Post Oak Tritt and Hembree.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Piedmont Road railroad crossing to be closed next week for repairs

June 2, 2018 4:01 PM by Wendy Parker

Piedmont Road railroad crossing

This isn’t taking place until the end of next week, but Piedmont Road around the railroad tracks will be closed briefly to make repairs to the tracks.

A very bumpy crossing is going to be smoothed over with new tracks and pads and sidewalks, and the road repaved, and it’s long been the subject of complaints from motorists.

The closure on Piedmont between Canton Road and Morgan Road begins at 5 a.m. Friday, June 8, and is expected to be reopened by 12 p.m. the following day, Saturday, June 9.

Here’s more information from Cobb DOT about what’s going on, and how you can get around if that’s a route you normally use:

Electronic closure warning signs will be installed on each side of the railroad announcing the pending closure and detour signs will also be installed. Alternate routes will include Ebenezer/Blackwell roads to the north and Morgan/Liberty Hill roads to the south.

Patriot Rail, formally known as Georgia Northeastern Railroad, staff will remove the existing tracks across Piedmont Road and replacing with new ballast, ties and rails including pre-cast concrete crossing panels instead of the existing rubber crossing pads. Once that work is complete, a Cobb Department of Transportation contractor will add asphalt on each side before the road can be reopened to traffic. Between June 9 and June 30, the contractor will add curb, gutter, sidewalk and drainage structures using temporary lane closures to complete the project. Funding for this project is part of the voter approved 2016 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax.

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

Casteel Road bridge replacement to close traffic at Piney Grove Creek all summer

May 23, 2018 7:20 PMMay 23, 2018 4:26 PM by Wendy Parker

Casteel Road, bridge repairs, Piney Grove Creek

Following up something we posted back in March, about the $1.2 million Casteel Road bridge replacement project over Piney Grove Creek:

Cobb DOT said today that traffic on Casteel Road where it meets Bill Murdock Road and Oak Lane at the creek and bridge will be closed starting Thursday, May 24, and will reopen on July 31.

The dates are timed for today’s end to the 2017-18 school year and the start of the 2018-19 school year on Aug. 1.

The 55-year-old bridge over Piney Grove Creek, what used to be called Sewell Creek, is being completely replaced, and the new construction will be wider, with shoulders, sidewalks and barriers on either side.

The three-way intersection also will be reconfigured, but for now, motorists will be able to travel between Oak and Bill Murdock, as indicated by the Cobb DOT map below showing suggested detours. More information is at cobbcommute.org.

Casteel Road bridge replacement, alternate routes

New Lower Roswell traffic designs to cost an additional $160K

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Cobb spending an additional $160K for engineering design for Lower Roswell traffic improvements

May 14, 2018 1:37 PMMay 9, 2018 1:05 PM by Wendy Parker

Long-delayed plans for Lower Roswell traffic improvements in the Johnson Ferry Road area are getting some action.

The Cobb Board of Commissioners last week approved a contract for $160,145 for additional engineering design work.

It’s the second time supplemental funding for design work has been approved for that project, bringing the total spending for pre-construction engineering to $650,000 in Cobb’s consulting contract with Smith Gresham and Partners.

The original contact was for $445,000. Cobb DOT said the extra funding was needed to “revise the original concept preliminary design and right-of-way plans.”

The project, which is the final phase of improvements in the Lower Roswell corridor, call for significant changes between Woodlawn Drive and Davidson Road, although no final plans have been determined.

They include a possible raised median along part of the route, longer turn lanes and improved traffic and pedestrian signals.

It was initially approved in the 2011 SPLOST (initial project summary here and project concept here) and Cobb DOT officials held public open houses in 2012 to tout the changes.

But it has run into snags from the beginning.

The major concerns were from business owners on the north side of Lower Roswell, east from Johnson Ferry to Davidson. A raised median is proposed, but has not been formally approved, to cut down on left-turn traffic coming out of Parkaire Landing Shopping Center.

District 2 Cobb commissioner Bob Ott told East Cobb News he wanted changes that would have “the least amount of impact on those businesses.”

He said early designs called for a service road from the McDonald’s on Lower Roswell to Davidson to accommodate access to those businesses, but that road is not going to be built.

Ott said the additional design work was sought since the original proposal was made so long ago. Because the project is SPLOST-approved by voters, it must be completed. There isn’t a timetable for the design revisions.

Right-of-way purchases also remain outstanding. The elderly occupant of an old white house facing Lower Roswell at Woodlawn has passed away in recent months, and property acquisition is still in progress.

The Lower Roswell project includes additional sidewalks as well as through and turn lanes in and around the intersection at Woodlawn.

The total cost of the project, when finished, is expected to come to $6.2 million, with nearly half of that right-of-way purchases.

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Canton Road transportation improvements subject of open house next week

April 28, 2018 12:42 PM by Wendy Parker

Major Canton Road transportation improvements are coming, and the public is invited to learn more about them and ask questions of Cobb DOT staff at an open house on Tuesday.

The open house is from 5-7 p.m. at Blackwell Elementary School (3470 Canton Road), which is about the midway point along a route on Canton Road for the biggest project in this corridor.

The project, numbered X2602 (details here) includes the addition of turn lanes and sidewalks from the Cherokee County line to Kurtz Road, and also involves changes at the Canton Road-Piedmont Road intersection. It’s estimated to begin early next year, with a completion date in mid-2020 at a cost of $2.6 million.

Another project, X2304 (details here), will add a northbound right turn lane onto Canton Road at the intersection of Highland Terrace, just south of Shallowford Road. Construction is expected to begin late next year and the cost estimate is $696,000.

Both projects are being funded with collections from the Cobb 2016 SPLOST.

Tuesday’s open house will not have a formal presentation.

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Lower Roswell Road virtual open house

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