With so much development in Peachtree Corners these days, District 1 City Councilman Phil Sadd hosted a town hall meeting on Nov. 2 to update residents on changes happening in the city. One topic that garnered the most discussion was traffic projects.
“There are many different projects we’ve been doing throughout the city. We’ve got major intersections where we can improve traffic flow,” Sadd told the audience of about 100.
“There is no silver bullet to fix traffic, but we’re looking at where traffic exists at specific intersections and what we can do to improve the traffic flow,” he explained.
Widening of Spalding Dr and Crooked Creek Bridge
The first completed project Sadd touched upon was the widening of Spalding Dr over Crooked Creek, which included a new bridge.
As part of Gwinnett County’s 2017 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) program, Spalding Dr was widened from a two-lane road to a four-lane highway, spanning from Winters Chapel Rd to Holcomb Bridge Rd.
“Before the project started … it was two lanes going across the bridge, not really a sidewalk on one section, no sidewalk on the other side. The street often flooded. There was no curb and gutters,” said Sadd.
“It’s gone from two lanes to five lanes over the bridge. We got a center lane turning lane onto River Exchange,” he added.
The project was coordinated by Gwinnett County, the city of Peachtree Corners and the city of Sandy Springs, with an estimated cost of $10.8 million. It took about three years for the project to be completed.
“Part of it is also connected to the intersection of Winters Chapel Rd at Spalding Dr where we added a right turn lane,” said Sadd. “If you’re in the line of traffic and someone in front of you is turning left before you just had to wait for that person to turn left. Now you can pop into the right-hand lane and keep going.”
The fully completed development will have multi-use paths along Spalding Dr as part of the T-SPLOST project.
Improvements will include a multi-use path along the south side of Spalding Dr, from Winters Chapel Rd to River Exchange Dr, and a sidewalk on the north side of Spalding Dr from Winters Chapel Rd to River Exchange Dr.
The sidewalks will connect to the existing sidewalks on Holcomb Bridge Rd and provide improved accessibility to Crooked Creek Park and the surrounding neighborhoods.
Traffic circles are making the ‘rounds’
Another significant development is the traffic circle at Medlock Bridge Rd and Peachtree Corners Cir. Although it’s completed, it is adjacent to intersection improvements at Medlock Bridge Rd and Bush Rd, which is expected to be finished in fewer than three months.
Once residents get comfortable with traffic circles, it appears that there will be many more in the city’s future.
With the traffic snarls leading into The Forum, the city is looking into putting in another traffic circle.
“If you’re turning left out of The Forum by Trader Joe’s, it’s extremely difficult,” said Sadd. “And turning left into The Forum at that spot is also difficult. A traffic circle will help with congestion at that location.”
The preliminary design is underway now.
Holcomb Bridge Rd at River Exchange Dr project
The Holcomb Bridge Rd, Spalding Rd, and River Exchange Dr project is a Georgia Department of Transportation initiative scheduled to start in the summer of 2024.
The project was approved in 2019 and is expected to cost $2.7 million upon completion.
Authorities hope the project will improve traffic flow, relieve congestion and reduce delays at the intersection of SR 140, Holcomb Bridge Rd and Spalding Dr by enhancing accessibility and utilizing adjacent intersections to facilitate traffic.
The plans are to remove the dedicated left-turn lanes along Spalding Dr at the intersection of SR 140 and Holcomb Bridge Rd and reroute them to existing intersections along River Exchange Dr and Wetherburn Way.
The changes will primarily be minor street widening, milling and inlaying and concrete median installation.
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