Many opponents seem to have come around in support of north Fulton's first public roundabout.
About 50 Roswell officials and residents turned out Thursday for the formal dedication, but the real observance was going on several yards away as morning commuters bustled through the circular intersection at Norcross Street and Grimes Bridge Road.
There were a few horns honked and a couple of abrupt stops, but most motorists took the curve without hesitation.
"We thought there were going to be backups, but they're moving through," said Sandy Hanlon, a nearby Stonebridge neighborhood resident who was "skeptical" at first. "Standing here watching it convinced me."
Camille Sudderth, also of Stonebridge, liked the idea from the start.
"I told my granddaughter, ‘Every time I go around it, I feel like I'm at Six Flags,'" she said.
A roundabout, sometimes called a rotary, is a common sight in Europe. About 70 exist in Georgia, and plans are in the works for others throughout north Fulton, including Johns Creek and Milton. Alpharetta has already begun construction of its first roundabout on Douglas Road.
The project, which took less than a year to complete, faced strong public opposition at the start. About 100 residents signed an online petition against it early last year, and angry phone calls were a regular occurrence at City Hall.
The city argued the roundabout would improve safety and streamline traffic at the intersection, which backed up every day during rush hours. The site ranked 12th in the city in the number of yearly traffic accidents.
Barney Burroughs, who owns a corner lot at the intersection, objected to the project because construction would damage several historic willow oaks on his property and impede access to his driveway.
A year later, Burroughs said he is satisfied with the way he was treated. The city paid $55,000 to move his driveway and modify the house to reorient the garage. It also hired an arborist to prepare the trees for the nearby construction.
"The work went a lot smoother than I expected," he said.
The only lingering problem, Burroughs said, is a dropoff from the roadway to his property. He said he hopes the city will consider a wall and some groundcover to landscape the slope.
One of the most strident opponents was 104-year-old Mattie Smith, who had lived on the southwest corner of the intersection for 30 years. Smith's son, Gary, who lives in Cumming, took up his mother's fight, arguing the roundabout would lower nearby property values and damage his mother's quality of life.
After weeks of negotiations, the city decided to buy the home for $180,000 and let the elderly Smith rent for as long as she liked. It also offered to extend a berm along the corner and install a privacy fence.
Two weeks into construction last November, Mattie Smith died.
"She passed away before they started any heavy-duty construction, which was a blessing," Gary Smith said.
Roswell Transportation Director Steve Acenbrak said the feedback he has received, even from those first opposed, has been overwhelmingly positive.
"I've never gotten a thank-you note before," he said. "People stop me in the grocery store and tell me how much they like it."
The city originally budgeted $1.4 million for the project, but it came in at about $771,000, counting a $200,000 water line relocation paid for through grant money.
Construction never closed the intersection but traffic was limited to a single lane for a short time this spring.
Plans are under way for another roundabout at Houze and Hembree roads on the city's north side.
As for the Smith house on the corner, the city used it last January to board its new police chief when he relocated from Cordele. And it may be used again to house a family that has expressed concern about construction at another road project near their home, Acenbrak said.
Ultimately, the city plans to sell the property.
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