City Council has been debating the construction of a connector that would link Powder Springs Street with South Cobb Drive. According to the Marietta Daily Journal, “the project aims to give motorists a more direct route to Interstate 75 by connecting the two roads so drivers won’t have to travel north to the South Marietta loop where traffic often is congested.”
On Monday, the Council looked into two proposed routes in trying to find a solution. The first one has Powder Springs Street connected to South Cobb Drive by way of Sandtown Road. However, one major problem with this is that a shopping center would have to be destroyed in order for the road to be completed.
The other idea has South Cobb Drive and Powder Springs Street joined by Chestnut Hill Road. This is a major entrance into the Whitlock Heights neighborhood. Two Council members live in this neighborhood: Grif Chalfant and Holly Walquist. Once again, Whitlock Heights is under pressure to sacrifice its historically subdued and family-oriented atmosphere in order to relieve traffic tensions.
Ms. Walquist commented that “connecting Chestnut Hill to Sandtown is just what the neighborhood did not want to do,” while Mr. Chalfant said he is “opposed to the Chestnut Hill solution. It’s a neighborhood breaker.”
The Chestnut Hill proposal is a “straighter shot” than the Sandtown Road plan, according to the submitted designs. Bill Dunaway, the Mayor, said he would support the Chestnut Hill plan only if Georgia DOT guarantees that the area is safeguarded from traffic.
Thanks to Michael French and the MDJ for content of this article.
