(Marietta, Ga. - August 15, 2006) Cobb County transportation officials will hold a second round of public meetings on the county’s Comprehensive Transportation Plan.

The study addresses mobility, safety and air quality challenges over the next 25 years for Cobb and its six partner cities. The study was launched in Jan. 2006 and will conclude in Oct. 2007. In a first round of meetings in April, widespread interest was shown in various approaches to improving mobility and the environment, including more mass transit, better connectivity, land use/transportation integration, more green space and improved bicycle and pedestrian networks.

At the second round of public meetings, transportation officials will update the public on what has been accomplished to date and ask for additional input. Citizens are encouraged to attend, as planners seek ideas from as many citizens as possible.

Second Round Public Meetings

Aug. 16 – 7–9 p.m. East Cobb Government Service Center, 4400 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta
Aug. 17 - 7–9 p.m. Kennesaw Community Center, 2753 Watts Drive, Kennesaw
Aug. 23 - 5:30–7:30 p.m. Cobb County Central Library, 266 Roswell Road, Marietta
Aug. 24 - 7–9 p.m. Ford Center, 4181 Atlanta Street, Powder Springs

For more information:

Laraine A. Vance, Project Manager
Cobb County Department of Transportation
1890 County Services Parkway, Marietta, Georgia 30008
(770) 528-1679

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Released by:
David Layman
Robert J. Quigley
(770) 528-1105

Marietta City Council approved route C as the local preferred alternative for the Powder Springs Road Connector at its meeting August 9, 2006. The Powder Springs Road Connector is a transportation improvement project that would link Powder Springs Road with South Cobb Drive to reroute traffic before it reaches the city center.

Alternative C begins at Powder Springs Road north of the Brownstone Square subdivision. The new four-lane road would have a median and run between Brownstone Square subdivision and Sourwood Circle. The road would turn eastward to Sandtown Road and follow a newly widened four-lane Leader Road with a median to South Cobb Parkway.

Voters approved funding for the project as part of the 2005 Cobb County special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) for transportation improvement projects. Although Marietta City Council previously approved a route for the Connector, the current Council recommended a new preference, which will be submitted to county and state transportation officials for their consideration. Cobb County and the state of Georgia must also agree on the preferred route before funding can be authorized.

The $15 million Powder Springs Connector is currently on the Atlanta Regional Commission’s long-range plan with funding for engineering to begin in 2006, right of way acquisition to begin 2012-2020 and construction to begin 2021-2030. The city of Marietta and Cobb County plan to request that the project be moved forward to the Transportation Improvement Plan for right of way acquisition in 2008 and construction in 2010.

For more information, call 770-794-5650.

Morning everyone! We had reported this story a few weeks back, but since the main star of it wrote us directly with all the details, we wanted to share it with the rest of you all (with his permission of course) !

Enjoy!

A 4th of July to Remember
9:00am- 2.5 weeks before our baby’s due date, my wife Erin and I went to Marietta, GA to see the 4th of July parade .
12:00pm – After watching floats and marching bands, we drove up to Lake Allatoona to enjoy picnicking and swimming. At the Lake, she told me that she had very small contractions but that there was no pain.
3:05pm – We arrived at the ESPN Zone in Buckhead to watch the world cup semifinal between Germany and Italy. Many of our friends were there to join us. At the Bar, she had more contractions; I even timed them. They were a little stronger but still did not hurt.
5:15pm – We went home and Erin rested for about an hour. At this time, her contractions were inconsistent in frequency and duration.
7:30 pm - Deciding to go to Marietta Square, we listened to “Little Big Town” (one of Erin’s Favorite bands) which played prior to the fire works.
The story really begins here:
Towards the end of the concert, Erin’s contractions were yet a little stronger, but it was still 2.5 weeks early so we did not worry too much. As the fireworks were nearing completion, Erin and I headed out to get a jump start home when she met one of the singers. I took a picture of them. As she told me she was now experiencing a little pain, we quickly walked to our car. By the time we reached our car, all the other 10,000 people reached their cars too, and there it was: THE WORLDS WORST TRAFFIC JAM AND LEVAN’S WORST NIGHTMARE COME TRUE. (And for nine months, I had been planning for 285 traffic. HAHA!) We sat in out car in the parking lot for 30 minutes and moved at the most a few yards. Erin’s pain increased; she began to cry. My panic increased also. I finally maneuvered the car out of the parking lot but traffic was worse on the little street (we were about 30-35 minutes from Northside). I jumped out of the car and asked other drivers to let me through because we were having a baby. This effort took us no more than 100 feet. Panic took a hold of me; I was sweating like a big dog in the humid weather. I called 911, and they said it would be very hard to find me in such bad traffic. I called back 5 minutes later, turned my flashers on, jumped out of the car, and ran like a crazy man looking for a cop. I finally found a cop; he came to the car and called some paramedics and the ambulance. Erin was sitting down. I thought she for sure was going to have our kid there. Finally, the ambulance made it through the traffic. They loaded Erin onto a stretcher and into the vehicle. I quickly backed the car up over the sidewalk to the parking lot, grabbed the camera (I am a smart man even though I was in panic), and sat in the passenger seat of the ambulance. In 25-30 minutes we arrived at Northside (11:15pm). Erin was already 7 cm dilated (craziness). In a short 30 minutes, she was fully dilated. And in 1 hour after being at the hospital, baby DANTE KAKHADZE was born. No epidural, no drugs, but O’boy was she in PAIN. (Note to future Dads in the labor room: don’t talk and do what she asks you to doJ). The whole experience was amazing; DANTE came out very healthy 16 minutes after midnight (so his birthday is July 5th) 7 lbs. 9 oz and 20.5 in. It was a blessing that labor in the hospital only took 1 hour, but I probably lost 2 years of my life before we got there thinking that I would have to deliver the baby in the car.
So nightmares can come true; however, we had many blessing that day: we had a full day of fun, Erin saw her favorite band, and Italy beat Germany and advanced to the world cup finals. Labor only took 1 hour and much more.
Lesson learned: if (when) we have a second child, you can find us camping out in the hospital parking lot for the last 4 weeks of pregnancy.J
Advice to fellow Atlantans: Never underestimate the traffic in our city, and when planning to reach your destination in a hurry, expect the unexpected, which, quite predictably, happens very often in Atlanta.
-Levan

WOW. What a story. I totally agree with him. Traffic after the concert on the Square on the 4th of July was NUTS. I haven’t EVER seen it as bad as it was that night. Pure chaos. Read this story….

Thanks to the AJC!

By LEVAN KAKHADZE
Published on: 07/19/06

Two and a half weeks before our baby’s due date, my wife, Erin, and I went to Marietta to see the Fourth of July parade.

After watching floats and marching bands, we drove to Lake Allatoona to enjoy picnicking and swimming. At the lake, she told me that she had very small contractions but that there was no pain.

Levan Kakhadze lives in Smyrna.

That night, we decided to go to Marietta Square, to hear “Little Big Town” (one of Erin’s Favorite bands), which played before the fireworks.

Toward the end of the concert, Erin’s contractions were yet a little stronger, but it was still two and a half weeks early, so we did not worry too much. As the fireworks were nearing completion, Erin and I headed out to get a jump start home. By the time we reached our car, all the other 10,000 people reached their cars, too, and there it was: the world’s worst traffic jam and my worst nightmare.

We sat in out car in the parking lot for 30 minutes and moved at the most a few yards. Erin’s pain increased; she began to cry. My panic increased also.

I finally maneuvered the car out of the parking lot, but traffic was worse on the little street on the square. (We were about 30-35 minutes from Northside Hospital). I jumped out of the car and asked other drivers to let me through because we were having a baby. This effort took us no more than 100 feet. Panic took a hold of me; I was sweating like a big dog in the humid weather.

I called 911, and the dispatcher said it would be very hard to find me in such bad traffic. I called back five minutes later, turned my flashers on, jumped out of the car, and ran like a crazy man looking for a cop. I finally found a cop. He came to the car and called some paramedics and the ambulance. I thought for sure Erin was going to have our kid there.

Finally, the ambulance made it through the traffic. An hour after being at the hospital, baby Dante Kakhadze was born.

Advice to fellow Atlantans: Never underestimate the traffic in our city, and when planning to reach your destination in a hurry, expect the unexpected, which, quite predictably, happens very often in Atlanta.

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.

My family and I are on vacation this week in Florida. A couple days ago, we stopped by the local post office to mail some items. The facility was very well-kept and was probably built in the last 10 years, at most. It made me think of our Marietta post office, downtown. Everyone I know always mentions the parking issue. The building has been around since I can remember as a child. I don’t know if anything has been proposed in recent years, but what about a new facility for Marietta?

The recently-opened government building on Whitlock Avenue (at Manning Road) is a great model for any new post office ideas to follow. Across the street, the unused space where Ace Hardware used to be could be converted into a nice, new post office facility. Imagine all the parking space and all the square footage inside. Does the back of the building offer sufficient space for deliveries and dropoffs? I’m not sure. There are probably other spaces available around the downtown area which could be used for a new post office — be sure to share your opinions, Marietta!

Be advised about the traffic situation, starting today, at Mill Street. Also, take notice of the upcoming possibility of more road closings near the railroad crossings as detailed below. WhitlockAvenue.com: keeping our citizens informed!

Streets temporarily closed in Marietta for railroad maintenance

MARIETTA, GA — CSX Railroad will temporarily close Mill Street at the railroad crossing in downtown Marietta for scheduled maintenance Wednesday, May 17 at 8 a.m. until Thursday afternoon May 18.

CSX performs maintenance of the crossings every two to five years to smooth and improve the efficiency of the tracks for personal vehicles and trains.

In addition, the city anticipates CSX will close Kennesaw Avenue at the railroad crossing May 22-23. CSX has requested the Georgia Department of Transportation close Whitlock Avenue at the railroad crossing near the Marietta Square May 31-June 1.

We just got an alert that the city is working with the Southern Polytechnic School of Architecture to redesign and make improvements along Powder Springs Street. This is a much needed effort and will really help in the city’s redevelopment surge. What are your thoughts and opinions on the Power Springs street corridor today? What ‘face’ would you like it to have in the future?

CITY OF MARIETTA, GEORGIA

MEDIA ADVISORY

Marietta, Southern Polytechnic partner to improve Powder Springs Street

WHO:
City of Marietta
Southern Polytechnic State University (SPSU) School of Architecture

WHAT:
The City of Marietta and SPSU School of Architecture have formed a collaborative to provide students real world experience while offering the City new approaches to design challenges. Students will present to city officials design ideas from this semester’s collaborative project focusing on improving Powder Springs Street from South Marietta Parkway to Whitlock Avenue.

WHEN:
Wednesday, May 3rd at 10:00 a.m.

WHERE:
Southern Polytechnic State University
Architecture building auditorium
1100 South Marietta Parkway, Marietta
678-915-7778
http://www.spsu.edu/home/about/campusmap.html

PHOTO/VIDEO:
Design presentations

INTERVIEWS:
City officials, SPSU professors, SPSU architecture students

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Due to the Air Show today….

Motorist are being reminded that parking for the NAS Air Show is limited to the Lockheed parking lot on Delk RD and shuttle service is being provided from White Water on Cobb Parkway to the base. There is no public parking along Atlanta Road or Generals Way which runs off Atlanta Road.

Updated…
Traffic Advisory11:10 HRS
The Lockheed parking lot for Air Show parking is now full and has been closed. Approximately 300 spaces remain at White Water on Cobb Parkway. Parking at White Water is free. A shuttle to the air base is available from White Water for a charge of $2 per person. Children under 42 inches tall ride for free. Riders are encouraged to bring correct change for the fare.

Most major intersections around NAS Atlanta are moving well. Motorist will not be permitted to park on the shoulder of Delk Rd, Atlanta Rd, Cobb Parkway or South Cobb Drive.

Updated…
Traffic Advisory 15:45 HRS

Cobb County motorists are advised to avoid intersections immediately surrounding Naval Air Station Atlanta including Delk Rd., South Cobb Drive, Cobb Parkway and Atlanta Rd. for the next hour. With an estimated 50,000 spectators at today’s Angels Over Atlanta, traffic conditions will worsen once performances end at 4 PM.

Cobb County Police, Georgia State Patrol and Marietta Police will be directing motorists at intersections around the base so caution should be taken when approaching congested areas.

For more information on Sundays Angels Over Atlanta please visit www.cni.navy.mil/Atlanta/AirShow

Parking for Sunday’s air show will open at 8 AM at the Lockheed lots on Delk Rd. and at White Water on Cobb Parkway. A shuttle to the air base is available from White Water for a charge of $2 per person. Children under 42 inches tall ride for free. Riders are encouraged to bring correct change for the fare.

This is the final email update for Saturday April 29.

What is your vision for Marietta? Elected officials have proposed their revisions to the city’s goals, and now we need the public’s help in defining the direction of Marietta.

Take a look at the eight proposed goals and e-mail the city your comments. They will be compiled and presented to City Council, who will vote this summer on new plans for the city.

A public open house to discuss the goals will be held Tuesday, May 16 from 6-8 p.m. at the Marietta Center for Advanced Academics, 311 Aviation Road. For more information, call 770-794-5669.