People trying to drive out of neighborhoods along Roberts Drive are dealing with traffic delays due to a detour as bridge construction closesd the road over GA 400 for a week.
The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) said contractors will close Roberts Drive over GA 400 for approximately one week, from Friday, Dec. 15 through Friday, Dec. 22. The closure is part of construction on the GA 400 Bridge Replacements project. Completion is anticipated by May 22, 2024.
There will be a full closure of Pride Place at Sandy Springs Middle School and a closure of Roberts Drive between Pride Place and Gettysburg Place, which are on opposite sides of Ga 400.
Contractors need the closure to complete work to match the new roadway alignment with the existing roadway, GDOT said.
The detour will be signed and marked. Law enforcement will be in place during peak travel times.
Roberts Drive between Roswell Road and Gettysburg Place does not connect to any other through streets, so while the detour is in place all traffic must use its intersection with Roswell Road near the bridge over the Chattahoochee River.
Valeria Palmer, a resident of Roberts Drive, said the problem is that on those two miles between Roswell Road and Dunwoody Place there are as many as seven condo and townhouse communities and almost as many apartment complexes.
“Georgia Power says there are more than 1,800 accounts off Roberts and having that many people using one exit with no controls other than a stop sign is dangerous,” she said.
More options exist for motorists off North River Parkway faced with the detour at Pride Place to connect with Dunwoody Place and reach signalized intersections at Northridge or Roswell Roads.
A Sandy Springs spokesperson said the city coordinates with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) on project-related traffic impacts.
“Our Traffic Management Center (TMC) will monitor the traffic and adjust signals if necessary, in coordination with GDOT,” Interim Communications Director Dan Coffer said in an email reply to questions.
Though vehicular traffic won’t be able to use the Roberts Drive bridge, GDOT said pedestrian traffic across the bridge will be maintained.
GDOT said that Roberts Drive Bridge is being replaced and widened with a raised profile. It will include a 12-foot, multi-use path on the south side, a sidewalk on the north side, and an interior barrier wall on the south side separating pedestrians from the travel lanes. Sandy Springs entered into an agreement with GDOT for bridge aesthetics.
