Sandy Springs has identified the I-285 and Roswell Road interchange as a key bottleneck in the city and a location with some of the highest crash rates. Despite being widened in 2012, operational and safety challenges continue.
The intersection had been recommended for reconstruction as part of the GDOT Revive 285 project. Before being removed from the regional plan, the project was expected to cost $47,900,000.
The Sandy Springs City Council recently agreed to apply for a long-range Regional Transportation Plan and Transportation Improvement Program grant through the Atlanta Regional Commission to fund a study to identify operational, capacity and safety improvements at the intersection. The study will consider innovative solutions, such as a Diverging Diamond Interchange, that will address both operations and safety.
The city approved $150,000 for this study as part of their FY2022 budget, but would like to use these funds as a local match for a more comprehensive study and to progress the study further through the concept stage. For Sandy Springs to be eligible for federal funding, the city is required to provide a minimum 20% match of the funding requested. The city estimates the minimum required to match $600,000 is $150,000, for a total study cost of $750,000.
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