Johnson Ferry Road and Abernathy Road Corridor
Project History
With the increasing population growth in Cobb County over the last few decades, Johnson Ferry Road and Abernathy Road in Fulton County have become major transportation corridors for vehicles traveling from Cobb County into Fulton County, especially to gain access to SR 400 and I-285. Recognizing that this corridor lacked sufficient capacity, in 1987 the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) developed concepts for improving Johnson Ferry Road and Abernathy Road. The approved concepts were as follows:
Johnson Ferry Road from the Chattahoochee River to Abernathy Road (approximately 1.0 mile). The existing four lanes would be widened to six lanes with a 20' raised median and curb and gutter. Some horizontal and vertical alignment changes would be required. Widening would be primarily on the east side.
Abernathy Road from Johnson Ferry Road to Roswell Road (approximately 0.75 mile). The existing two lanes would be widened to four lanes with a 20' raised median and curb and gutter. Widening would be primarily on the north side of Abernathy Road.
Although the concepts were approved in 1987, no further action was taken on advancing these projects. Since these roads are not on the State Highway System, Fulton County would have been required to acquire the necessary rights of way; however, the County had higher priorities at the time and would not commit to the project. In the mid-1990s, the problem became even more acute when Cobb County widened its section of Johnson Ferry Road (north of the Chattahoochee River) to six lanes, creating a serious bottleneck south of Columns Drive.
In 1995, the Fulton County Department of Public Works contracted with a consulting engineering firm to perform a comprehensive traffic evaluation of Johnson Ferry Road and Abernathy Road. The study area was bounded by Abernathy Road on the north, SR 400 on the east, Hammond Drive on the south, and the Cobb County/Fulton County line (the Chattahoochee River) on the west. Several improvement alternates were proposed to alleviate the present and future projected traffic congestion in the area. Evaluation of traffic impacts and traffic flows were completed for each alternate. Based on the study findings, conclusions were reached concerning each proposed alternate. The study was published in February 1996.
Soon after the study was published, the metropolitan Atlanta air quality region was determined by the federal government to be in noncompliance with the requirements of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. As a result, proposed roadway projects which added capacity (i.e., additional lanes) were not allowed to proceed. The Johnson Ferry Road and Abernathy Road projects were among a number of projects that were in this group.
In 2001, the Atlanta area was determined to have a Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) that conformed to federal air quality standards, and projects such as Johnson Ferry Road and Abernathy Road were allowed to go forward. In February 2002, GDOT with the assistance of the engineering firm of Jordan, Jones, & Goulding (JJG), began to develop a concept for the Johnson Ferry Road/Abernathy Road corridor. GDOT took a completely new look at the corridor, with updated traffic counts and projections, and took into consideration other recently constructed or proposed projects in the area.
The Sandy Springs Revitalization organization, along with other citizens groups in the area, proposed a "transportation greenway" along that portion of Abernathy Road from Johnson Ferry Road to Roswell Road. In this plan, all property along Abernathy Road could be acquired, and excess property not required for roadway right of way could be converted into greenspace, including a system of walking trails and bicycle paths. If this plan is adopted by GDOT, GDOT may legally only acquire that property required for roadway construction. The additional property must be acquired by others. A project is included in the ARC TIP which allocates $4 million towards purchasing property for the greenspace.
In the current ARC TIP (FY 2002-2004), Johnson Ferry Road is listed as Project FN 023. The project is described as an upgrade, with both the existing number of lanes and proposed number of lanes being four. Abernathy Road is listed as Project FN 034A/FN 034B. The project is described as a widening from the existing two lanes to a proposed four-lane section.