More than 50 people quizzed consultants for Sandy Springs and city staff members about the Roswell Road North End Boulevard Project on Feb. 26 at Sandy Springs Middle School.
The project aims to solve issues with traffic flow, safety, access to businesses and developments, and pedestrian and bicycle access, Patrick Peters with Heath and Rombach Engineering told Rough Draft Atlanta. The project extends for approximately a half mile from Dunwoody Place to the Chattahoochee River along Roswell Road.
Sandy Springs Diner owner Nicholas Curi said anything to improve the north end is a good thing, adding that he believes that slowing traffic down and making the area asthetically pleasing may bring him more customers. His business is located south of Dunwoody Place and the project area.
The boulevard project won’t be enough, Curi said. It needs to happen in harmony with other improvements. More businesses are needed and the storefronts and retail plazas need at least a facelift. Sandy Springs Diner underwent a facelift five years ago, he said.
Curi said a renewal of the North End needs more than this project by the city, saying that developers need to improve the shopping plazas and businesses need to help by updating their store fronts..
Dunwoody Plantation resident Derik Costa attended the open house and said he wants the project to happen.
“I think adding a walkability element to the community would be like, really big for us, for people that don’t want to depend on cars to be able to do everything,” Costa said.
Costa said he’d like to be able to take a bike or walk down to Island Ford or connect to the Azalea Drive area across the river.
Proposed improvements include:
- New signalized intersection at the North River Parkway and Roswell Road intersection;
- New connector road between Roberts Drive and North River Parkway;
- Landscaped median on Roswell Road;
- Pedestrian lighting;
- 10-12 foot-wide side path and a landscaped buffer on both sides of Roswell Road.
Adding the traffic signal should decrease accidents and improve access to developments, as would realigning the Roswell Road and Dunwoody Place intersection, according to the city’s project information sheet distributed at the open house. Some residents said they did not like the landscaped median as it would limit access along Roswell Road.
The project is in design phase, with a preliminary design projected to be completed by Spring 2027. Right of way acquisition would start then, with the final design phase completed by Springs 2028. Construction would start in Fall 2028 and take 18 months to complete.
Design work is estimated to cost $3.7 million, according to the project information sheet. Right-of-way acquisition is projected to cost $4.9 million and construction $10.15 million, which brings the projected cost to $18.75 million.
Federal funding is available for 80 percent of the costs, with the city required to make a 20 percent match.
Comments on the project can until March 12 by emailing them to communications@sandysprings.gov, submitting them online, or by mailing to City of Sandy Springs, 1 Galambos Way, Public Works Department, Sandy Springs, GA 30328.
More information on the project can be found at the Roswell Road North End Boulevard Project webpage.
