People who live and work in Sandy Springs know the traffic situation at the Roswell Road bridge and I-285 will likely get worse before it gets better, but they’re willing to wait.
“I’m OK with anything that means an improvement is on the way,” Pam Protos said about a $3.5 million widening of the bridge, set to begin in the spring. “I’ve got my alternative routes together, and I’m always looking for more.”
Protos, who lives on the south side of the bridge and works on the north side, said the most direct way from home to work, and back, is across the bridge, but the gridlock makes the trek nearly impossible.
“Between noon and 6 or 7 p.m., it is so congested,” said Protos, 58. “I am looking forward to an easier commute.”
The current five-lane road accommodates about 23,000 vehicles a day, with an accident or two thrown in, according to reports on the span.
According to the city’s website, the project will add a northbound lane and a southbound lane, as well as a dedicated turn lane for vehicles entering I-285. The additional lanes will give cars turning left onto I-285 enough room so that through traffic on Roswell Road is not blocked, a concept report says.
Ramps entering I-285 will also be widened so two lanes of traffic can form. Additional traffic lights also will be installed.
Most of the work will be conducted at off-peak hours to lessen its impact on traffic on both Roswell Road and I-285.
A year from now, commuters will see dramatic improvement in the congestion situation, said Chet Welch, director of capital improvements and stormwater programs for Sandy Springs.
Welch said the utilities in the area are being relocated, with the expectation that construction will begin in March.
The project is being funded through federal, state and local money, said Mark D. McKinnon, Atlanta regional spokesman for the Georgia Department of Transportation. Eighty percent is from federal funds, with the state adding 12 percent and Sandy Springs responsible for the remaining 8 percent.
It was once estimated the project would take the better part of two years, but the latest projections have the widening scheduled to be finished by November 2012.
“I really try to avoid the area if I can,” said Marty Richards, 24. “I think making the bridge wider will help the flow of traffic all along Roswell Road, not just in the immediate area.”
Roswell Road bridge
A $3.5 million project to widen the bridge — including adding a northbound lane and a southbound lane — will likely begin in March and be finished by the following November.
The bridge carries about 23,000 vehicles a day.
The federal government is providing 80 percent of the funding for the work, with the state adding 12 percent and the city of Sandy Springs paying for 8 percent.
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