Those driving around downtown Alpharetta on Thursday had better bring their patience and/or loose pants.
Thursday is The Taste of Alpharetta, which city officials say can bring in 40,000 to 50,000 people. The event is returning after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19. “Organizers are expecting an even larger crowd this year and have expanded the event footprint to encompass most of downtown Alpharetta,” according to a city news release.
Ga. 9 and other roads will be closed early Thursday. The city is asking people who aren’t attending the event to avoid downtown.
The city’s parks and recreation head Morgan Rodgers said in a news release that staff was already planning to expand the area dedicated to the event.
“That was before everyone spent the last two years couped up, and what we have seen with our first few events this year is that attendance has been higher,” Rodgers said. “Folks are hungry to get outside to enjoy the community, spend time with friends and neighbors, and have fun at events, again.”
Rodgers said people cutting across Ga. 9 “was creating a lot of safety concerns and was pretty much making vehicular traffic grind to a halt, so plans were already being made to close State Route 9 during the event. With the road closed, it just made sense to spread the event out a bit.”
Officials suggest using Westside Parkway and Haynes Bridge Road to go north/south and, to go east/west try Old Milton Parkway, Windward Parkway and Academy Street.
Here are details on the closures:
• Ga. 9 / Main Street: Closed from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. from Old Milton Parkway to Academy Street / Milton Avenue
• Roswell / Canton Street: Closed from 7:30 a.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Friday between Old Milton Parkway and School Drive
• Milton Avenue: Closed from 5 a.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Friday from Ga. 9 to Teasley Street
• Marietta Street: Closed from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. from Roswell Street to Ga. 9
• The following roads will be closed from 5 a.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Friday:
o Old Roswell Street
o Commerce Street
o Market Street
o North and South Broad Streets
For those interested, you can find the list of roughly 60 participating restaurants at https://tasteofalpharettaga.com/restaurants/.
Credit: WSBTV Videos
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