An agreement was approved Oct. 23 by the Cobb County Board of Commissioners with the National Park Service and the city of Marietta for Kennesaw Mountain pedestrian improvements of 1.69 miles within the NPS park boundary.
This section also is known as the Cheatham Hill Multi-Use Trail.
The project objective is to improve the trail network in the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park area to provide access for nonmotorized modes of transportation to, from and within the park.
The result will be a well-connected trail system through Marietta, Cobb County and the park, continuing the multi-use trail systems already in place within the county and the city, according to Cobb Transportation Agency Interim Director Erica Parish.
The project scope includes construction of an eight-foot to 10-foot-wide multi-use trail along the following corridors:
- the east side of Cheatham Hill Road, beginning at Powder Springs Road, then extending north to the existing trail on the west side of John Ward Road;
- from the intersection of John Ward Road and Whitlock Avenue/Dallas Highway/Ga. 120, ending at Cheatham Hill Drive; and
- the east side of Burnt Hickory Road from Whitlock Avenue north to Polk Street, then crossing over to extend along the west side of Burnt Hickory Road to Old Mountain Road.
Funding agreements have included:
- $1.2 million by Marietta on June 27, 2017.
- almost $704,468 on June 27, 2017 by Cobb for a consultant services agreement with Heath & Lineback Engineers, Inc. for engineering design.
- $20,000 on Aug. 22, 2017 by Cobb for an engineering oversight fee with the Georgia Department of Transportation.
- $1.69 million on Feb. 27, 2018 by the National Park Service (NPS), representing the park.
- $4.08 million on May 8, 2018 by the Federal Highway Administration - Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division.
On Oct. 9, the commissioners approved a partner design and construction agreement with NPS, defining the terms and conditions under which the county will design and construct three sections of multi-use trails within the NPS park boundary for the project.
