Sandy Springs may remove a travel lane from both New Northside Drive and Northside Drive and use the space to add a multi-use path in the Powers Ferry area.
Residents attending Thursday night’s Powers Ferry Transportation Study meeting learned about short-term, mid-term and long-term bicycle, pedestrian, transit, and roadway project recommendations. They marked on presentation boards what they liked and disliked, and added suggestions.
An online survey for community members to share ideas and feedback is open until March 7.
Cristina Pastore, a team project manager at Kimley-Horn, said residents responded to a previous survey following a community meeting last August and described problems with motorists on Northside and New Northside Drives.
“We had nearly 60 percent of the survey respondents tell us they have witnessed people going the wrong direction,” she said.
Of the two options for changes to the two roads, staff chose to keep one-way traffic on Northside and New Northside. This would take one lane away and use that space for bicycle and pedestrian activity, according to Pastore.
There would also be additional street lighting, sidewalk projects to fill gaps, and intersection improvements to enable safer pedestrian crossings. The cost is estimated at $5.8 million.
Notes posted on the presentation boards included one resident saying he didn’t believe the side path plan would help traffic over I-285, noting that he never sees pedestrians or bicycles going over I-285.
An option to convert Northside and New Northside to two-way traffic would cost $14.2 million. That’s more than double the cost of the one-way, one-lane alternative.
Residents also described the challenges of getting in and out of their businesses or even their property. Scott Borgert lives in the Powers Ferry area with his wife and children. He said they frequent all the nearby shops.
“We’d like it more pedestrian friendly and everything,” he said “We’re just looking for some additional sidewalks.”
Other recommendations included sidewalk improvements, side paths, ADA upgrades, midblock pedestrian crossings, bicycle facilities, and intersection and street lighting.
Another project would re-stripe Powers Ferry Road from the Chattahoochee River to Northside Drive. One of the two westbound lanes would be used to allow for bike lanes and dedicated left turn pockets.
