A Roswell project seeking to make one of the most dangerous roads in north Fulton safer may get $2 million in funding from the Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank.
Roswell is seeking the funds for the Historic Gateway construction project. The $50 million project to widen Atlanta Street is expected to start construction in 2023.
Thousands of commuters pass through the reversible-lane corridor each day from Fulton and Cobb counties. According to the city, there were 698 vehicle crashes on the street from 2015-18. One was a fatality, 23 were head-on collisions. And more city data shows the street had a 247% higher crash rate than the statewide average from 2009 to 2007.
If awarded, the Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank grant would preserve Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) funds currently budgeted for part of the road work.
The Georgia Department of Transportation is funding 70% of the project. Roswell is applying for the grant through the State Road and Tollway Authority to help with its portion. City Council approved the measure during a meeting on Nov. 29.
A total of $8 million in funding already provided by the Atlanta Regional Commission requires a local match of $2 million that would’ve come from TSPLOST funds, according to Interim Transportation Director Dan Skalsky.
The Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank grant would allow Roswell officials to direct TSPLOST funds to other projects. Skalsky said the city expects to be notified if the grant was approved in April or May.
The Historic Gateway project would fix the three-lane Atlanta Street corridor that features a middle lane that is reversed each day to create two lanes to carry rush-hour traffic north or south.
According to Roswell, GDOT is currently acquiring 62 parcels of land located along the corridor for the project.
The project has caused controversy for more than 10 years over design, tree removal, where roundabouts are located and other resident concerns with the project.
A citizen advisory committee formed in 2020 to suggest the type of trees that will be added to the corridor, preferred streetlamps and other visual enhancements met with Skalsky and a landscape architect Nov. 18, the interim director said. Following a presentation by the architect, the committee is prioritizing its recommendations, he added.
