With nearly $5 million in federal funds, the city of Sandy Springs is moving forward with a redesign of the Roswell Road corridor before the Chattahoochee River.
The Sandy Springs City Council allocated a $2.22 million grant from the Atlanta Regional Commission Jan. 20 to its existing design contract with Heath & Lineback for the engineering of the North End Boulevard project.
Because Roswell Road is a state route, the Georgia Department of Transportation is helping fund the North End Boulevard project. The city is using its share of the countywide sales tax for transportation projects, or T-SPLOST fund, to match state and federal contributions.
Public Works Director Marty Martin told council members that the city is using $1.77 million in T-SPLOST funds to match federal contributions, distributed by the ARC.
“We first talked about the city’s contract with the Georgia Department of Transportation regarding this project and design funds associated with it,” Martin said. “This agenda item is about an amendment to the contract between the city and Heath and Lineback.”
The city council approved the contract amendment unanimously, increasing the award from $1.15 to $3.88 million for right-of-way plans, construction documents, community engagement, and a construction cost estimate.
Leveraging federal dollars
Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul confirmed with staff that construction is set to break ground in mid-2029, just before his fourth term concludes. Construction is expected to last 18 months.
“The good news is ARC loves communities that can do the match, and we’ve been able to,” Paul said. “We’ve been very good at getting ARC money as a result of having resources that they know will be at the table when they get ready to execute these projects.”
Later in the meeting, council members approved an application for a $13.2 million ARC grant for the construction of the North End Boulevard project. That grant award requires a $3.3 million local match if approved, which the city says it has in its T-SPLOST fund.
Later, the city submitted grant requests to study improvements along Northside Drive between Interstate North Parkway and New Northside Drive and on Peachtree Dunwoody Road between Spalding Drive and Abernathy Road.
Sandy Springs also submitted a $1.8 million funding request for right-of-way, construction, and utility work for sidewalks and safety improvements along Roberts Drive between Dunwoody Place and Island Ferry Road.
Staff said the city will hear whether it will receive the ARC grants sometime after July this year.
Related story:
• Sandy Springs receives $18 million from ARC for PATH400
• ARC awards Sandy Springs $9.1 million for transportation projects
Chance for input
While a groundbreaking on the North End Boulevard is more than three years away, Sandy Springs residents can view the proposed improvements, ask questions, and provide feedback on Tuesday, Feb. 10.
The city is hosting a public information open house for the Roswell Road North End Boulevard project from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Sandy Springs Middle School, 8750 Pride Place.
Because of needed safety and mobility improvements on Roswell Road between Dunwoody Place and Roberts Drive, engineers propose a new signalized intersection at Roswell Road and North River Parkway and a new connector road between Roberts Drive and North River Parkway with pedestrian lighting and sidewalks.
A city memo says the new traffic signal is necessary for pedestrian safety and improved traffic flow between the North River Village Shopping Center and Roberts Drive. There are additional upgrades to another signalized intersection along State Route 9 at Dunwoody Place.
Other plans call for a landscaped, raised median along Roswell Road, pedestrian lighting on both sides of SR 9, a 10- or 12-foot-wide path on the east side, and a six-foot sidewalk on the west side.
