Cobb officials bat back criticisms of $9M Lower Roswell Road project
Jun. 30—MARIETTA — Cobb County officials are pushing back against renewed criticisms of a planned revamp to Lower Roswell Road in east Cobb, a $9 million project that's been over a decade in the making.
The extensive delays for the 2011 SPLOST project have reopened a window for some residents who've argued the county's plans for the roadway, at its intersection with Johnson Ferry Road, are unnecessary and ill-conceived.
The criticisms have ranged from concerns about a proposed median's impact on businesses in the area, to allegations from Republican activist Jan Barton that the inclusion of bike lanes are the result of pseudo-Soviet edicts from the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), metro Atlanta's most prominent planning organization.
Transportation Director Drew Raessler and Commissioner Jerica Richardson (who represents the area), meanwhile, have countered the project makes significant safety and traffic flow improvements to an area that's been plagued by congestion and above-average crash rates. The project is projected to reduce traffic in the area by 30% at peak hours, according to Raessler, while crashes could be reduced by as much as 72%.
In a recent Q&A session, Raessler said the area sees about four and a half times as many crashes as the statewide average in comparable areas. That's largely attributable, he added, to having some 14 driveways in a short stretch of roadway.
West of Johnson Ferry, the main feature of the improvements would be widening the thoroughfare to add two additional through-traffic lanes. To the east, the county would install a raised median with a series of turn lanes to maintain access to businesses including a McDonald's and the Parkaire Kroger.
The project would also extend bike lanes westward from Davidson Road, where they currently peter out into nothingness, to Woodlawn Drive.
The project's been in limbo for years as the county struggled to reach a design amenable to all parties. Former Commissioner Bob Ott, who used to represent the area, told the MDJ he'd held up the proposal several times because he disagreed with transportation officials on the appropriate scope.
"It came down to me and the community questioning the need for a project that was that extensive," said Ott.
Commissioners voted last summer to approve a final plan for the project, which is now expected to begin construction early next year. A fact sheet for the project estimates the work will take around two years.
Larry Savage of east Cobb, a former candidate for county chairman, seized on the project's delays as evidence it's not needed at a recent commission meeting.
"It's almost gotten off the ground now, but the reason it hasn't gotten off the ground is ... nobody really wants this. There isn't anybody who really is going to benefit from it except the contractors and engineers," said Savage.
Other residents have said bike lanes have no business on a street as busy as Lower Roswell, though Raessler explained the county has no power to limit where bikes can be ridden. All it can do is try and make the road more safe.
Tuesday night, ahead of a vote to condemn a strip of land from several parcels for Lower Roswell Road widening, Richardson and Raessler went point-by-point through the lines of criticism, reiterating that the project would greatly improve safety in the area and agreeing to continue negotiating with community members on the final details.
"We'll continue to look at those, and (we're) glad to continue to speak with the community," said Raessler.
