Traffic engineers have been studying ways to improve the traffic flow through this intersection and they have presented plans to the city for extending and adding turn lanes.  We were disappointed to learn that the traffic data suggests that these improvements would have little to no positive impact on the flow of traffic through this intersection, particularly during rush hour.  Hence, no road construction is planned in the near-term and the city will continue to evaluate options and closely monitor the timing of the traffic lights and traffic flows.  This intersection is one of the most congested in our district and I will continue to push the city to find ways to improve it.

East-West connectivity in our down-town district is one of our most significant needs and this project is intended to address this issue.   This project includes the construction of dual roundabouts at Johnson Ferry and Mt. Vernon, adding sidewalks, returning the streets to two-way traffic operations and building a pedestrian pathway from City Springs to the Sandy Springs Marta Station so that walkers and cyclists can safely travel to and from the Perimeter office market.  This is a TSPLOST-funded projected and pursuant to the requirements of the program, construction must be completed within seven years, so design work is underway now in anticipation of public design-review meetings later this year. 

As part of assessing our East-West traffic flow, a traffic study will be done on Hammond Dr. to determine the most efficient long-term plans for this corridor.  This study will evaluate the impact not only on Hammond, but on connecting roads like Mt. Vernon and Heards Ferry.  It is unwise to improve traffic on Hammond Dr. by worsening traffic in the western part of our city, so this will be a comprehensive study that evaluates east-west traffic flow from the Perimeter Business District all the way across to the Cobb County line.  The study will also evaluate the impact of adding multiple lanes on Hammond with sidewalks, bicycle lanes and transit lanes.  During the study and planning process, the city will continue to acquire right-of-way in anticipation of future changes to this roadway.  

Getting commuters efficiently from our rail stations into the Central Perimeter Business District is crucial to improving Marta rider-ship and reducing road congestion.  The city will participate in a multi-jurisdictional Last Mile Connectivity Study to evaluate plans to build “Perimeter Trails” to improve connectivity and will begin the acquisition of right-of-way to build future high-capacity transit routes.  

There was a recent story in one of the local newspapers regarding the potential construction of a bridge on Abernathy that would traverse over the Roswell Rd. intersection.  In our recent strategy session, council members requested that our City Manager and his staff to create a number of options for addressing our congestion and to “think big” in terms of potential solutions.  One of these “big ideas” explored by the engineers was an Abernathy bridge, but the projected cost and the tremendous disruption that a project of this magnitude would have on our community were simply too great for the Council to accept.  Hence, there are no plans presently to continue evaluating the bridge idea.  

Progress continues on filling sidewalk gaps throughout Sandy Springs and construction is underway now on the new sidewalk on the east side of Brandon Mill between Seville Chase and W. Spalding.  If your neighborhood is interested in adding sidewalks, projects will be prioritized using a needs-based scoring model and will be dependent on the city’s ability to obtain right-of-way donations from the impacted property owners.  Once a sidewalk concept is developed within a neighborhood, neighborhood representatives will have approximately six months to determine if they can secure the right-of-way donations from their neighbors.  If your neighborhood is interested in learning more about our sidewalk program, please call or email me and I will connect you with staff members at the city who can provide assistance.   

We all agree that reducing congestion is a key element in preserving our quality of life, but traffic projects come with lots of orange barrels along with construction equipment and lane closures and the process can be frustrating when you’re sitting in the back-up.  To help avoid some of these back-ups, please plan your routes accordingly using the “Sandy Springs Alert” app, which you can sign up for by Clicking Here.  This will keep you informed on traffic, weather and public safety issues impacting our community and hopefully make your commute around Sandy Springs less stressful, especially during these upcoming road projects.  

Egg hunting times are scheduled in the following order:
10:30 a.m. for children ages 1-3, 10:45 a.m. for children ages 4-7, 11 a.m. for children ages 7-9

Heritage Sandy Springs presents the 2nd Annual Rhythm & Brews: a celebration of local bands and local beers. Kick back and relax with a frosty beverage while listening to a wide variety of live music in a beautiful outdoor setting.  

Act3 presents "Urinetown- The Musical" 

Act3 Productions presents Urinetown, a hilarious comedy farce. An irreverently humorous satire in which no one is safe from scrutiny.  Book and lyrics by Greg Kotis. Music and lyrics by Mark Hollmann. April 14-29. Ticket information: www.act3productions.org.

Heritage Sandy Springs Farmer's Market: Opening Day!

The Heritage Sandy Springs Farmers Market is where friends and neighbors gather to share the experience of a community farmers market. Each Saturday morning, mid-April to December, nearly 50 vendors offer an abundance of fresh, local, and organic produce, along with pasture-raised meat and pork products, farm fresh eggs and dairy products, and a wide variety of specialty and prepared foods.

If you are interested in reading the Week in Review provided by the City Manager regarding work activity on behalf of the community, you can access it here for the week ending in March 18th. If you missed any of the weeks in review, you can access all of them from the City's website here.

As always, please direct your questions and comments to me at [email protected]. Best wishes for a wonderful week.

Chris Burnett