Key points:
• Sandy Springs neighborhoods bordering State Route 400 are scrambling to mitigate construction impacts as GDOT and its private sector contractor clear acres of forest before widening the highway.
• GDOT has acquired the necessary properties to widen the highway by four lanes, but Sandy Springs residents want the contractor to take their requests into account.
• With limited communication with the project team, Sandy Springs neighbors are concerned about increased noise, overnight construction, and decreased property valuations.
Acres of trees have been cleared between Huntingdon Trail and State Route 400 in Sandy Springs, and the Northridge Forest neighborhood is organizing to protect their homes from the impact of the construction.
The noise of traffic on the eight-lane state route is noticeably louder, neighbors agreed at a specially called May 4 community meeting at one of the affected homes along Huntingdon Trail.
At least six neighbors along the SR 400 Express Lanes project corridor border the widening project’s construction zone. Instead of a forest between them and an eight-lane highway, there’s a sparse area that offers little protection.
They each have a different strategy, but are organizing. One plans to bring lawsuits. Another wants to work with the project team on a desirable buffer. The most affected homeowner is trying to sell his house.
While all residents fear property devaluation, the owners who are now backing up to a construction zone for the $11 billion infrastructure project are scrambling for a plan.
Northridge Forest neighbors in shock
Sandy Springs Council Member John Paulson gave an overview of the project to about 50 residents of Northridge Forest. Paulson said contractors have a notice to proceed, and residents can expect heightened activity soon.
“Relative to the entire 16-mile corridor, these sections in Sandy Springs are the most residential,” Paulson said, who represents residents in north Sandy Springs along SR 400. “GDOT and the Peach Partners contractor need to work with neighborhoods.”
Because of an interchange expansion at Northridge Road, the Georgia Department of Transportation and its contractor — SR 400 Peach Partners — cleared thousands of trees that comprised part of the neighborhood’s namesake forest. The state and contractor have a private-public partnership.
The state of Georgia’s record-breaking transportation project will widen SR 400 by four lanes from the North Springs MARTA station in Sandy Springs to southern Forsyth County.
GDOT and its private sector contractors skirt the city’s tree and noise ordinances because it’s a state project. According to project manager Beau Quarles, construction will run 24/7 to ensure the project is completed on schedule.
GDOT addresses Sandy Springs construction
GDOT P3 Communications Program Manager Kyle Collins told Rough Draft Atlanta that contractors will install a retention pond for drainage, build two new ramps, and reconfigure the Northridge Road and Roberts Drive intersection.
“Work is expected to occur both during the day and at night, with overnight work used to minimize daytime traffic disruptions,” Collins said. “Tree clearing is an early and necessary step that allows crews to relocate utilities, establish work zones, and begin grading safely, and [be finished] on schedule.”
Collins said noise barriers are not currently planned between the state route and Huntingdon Trail. Even if they were, some of the homeowners closest to the Northridge Road interchange said they would oppose towering walls behind their homes.
“Presently, there are no plans to landscape the state right-of-way or replace any existing trees that were removed for construction of the SR 400 Express Lanes,” Collins said. “Near the completion of the project, remaining areas within the state ROW will be seeded with grass and monitored through establishment, per GDOT requirements.”
Northgreen Focus Group shares experience
Sandy Springs resident Brendan Espey lives along Northgreen Drive, one of the neighborhoods affected by the widening project on the west side of SR 400.
One of the surprises for Northgreen Drive residents has been how close the SR 400 widening project would be to their homes. The focus group has met with city and state officials to discuss options, but nothing has materialized, Espey said.
In advance of tree clearing last fall, GDOT acquired all single-family residential properties on the east side of Northgreen Drive.
“The neighborhood has been consistently asking for the wall to be pushed back, allowing more green space,” Espey said. “Residents were told the scope only expanded 50 feet; however, the designs have the construction directly up to the curb on Northgreen Drive.”
In mid-March, the Northgreen Focus Group reported it had a productive first meeting with State Transportation Board Member Joseph Stein of the 7th Congressional District.
“Joe has really stepped up above and beyond his role,” Espey said. “He has been a godsend, because we’re getting nowhere with GDOT. We’re asking for a monthly communication of what’s coming up … and we’re not getting anything.”
