New Bridge, Interchange for Northeast Cobb

The awarded contracts for four Northeast Cobb construction projects and recognized the Georgia DOT (GDOT) for their assistance with a fifth during their regular meeting Tuesday morning.

GDOT will be assisting Cobb County to construct a diverging diamond interchange at Interstate 75 and Wade Green Road. Jeff Lewis, GDOT board member, praised the Commissioners for their good working relationship and described the benefits of the new interchange, citing the similar interchange at Ashford-Dunwoody Road.

According to Lewis, the Ashford-Dunwoody interchange reduces the number of traffic conflict points by 50 percent. The Wade Green interchange is projected to reduce traffic signal waiting times by 60 percent and to reduce morning and evening peak travel times by 21 and 13 percent, respectively. The interchange is projected to have ten years of usefulness once built.

Cobb County will be responsible for completing and funding the preliminary engineering and right of way costs for the project. Once that is completed, GDOT will fund up to $1 million of construction costs from their operational improvement lump sum. The rest of the $1.625 million cost will be shouldered by Cobb County SPLOST funds.

Engineering firm Heath & Lineback was awarded a $227,650 contract to design the bridge replacement on New Chastain Road spanning Noonday Creek. The new westbound bridge, which is a SPLOST project, will include two travel lanes, shoulders and a pedestrian accommodations. This new design will allow the current weight restrictions to be lifted.

Improvements will be coming to the Timber Ridge Road area in the form of sidewalks and a pedestrian bridge. The sidewalks will be added on the north side of Timber Ridge Road from Jackson Creek Bluff to Lower Roswell Road. The pedestrian bridge will span Timber Ridge Creek. Reynolds, Smith and Hills will engineer the improvements for a cost not to exceed $97,304.

and the surrounding locale will be the beneficiary of two projects, to be engineered at a cost not to exceed $111,730. A sidewalk will be constructed on the west side of Steinhauer Road, from Shallowford Road to Rocky Mountain Road. Simultaneously, a sidewalk will be built on the south side of Rocky Mountain Road, from the elementary school to Steinhauer Road.

The final Northeast Cobb sidewalk project will be on Big Shanty Road. The new sidewalk, requested for environmental services by GDOT, will be the responsibility of The LPA Group, at a cost not to exceed $19,926. The sidewalk, which will be built on both sides of Big Shanty Road, will extend from Chastain Meadows Parkway to Bells Ferry Road.

"The people in these communities have been waiting a long time for these projects," said District 3 Commissioner JoAnn Birrell.