Funding Secured To Widen Highway 20 in Cherokee

Sign up for the Canton-Sixes Patch newsletter!

---

Canton, GA -- A major milestone has been achieved in the quest to widen one of the busiest highways in Cherokee County.

Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry on Tuesday that funding from the state’s Transportation Funding Act of 2015 will now allow the project to widen S.R. 20 from Canton to Cumming to move forward.

“We heard the community’s outcry for this crucial project and the desire for it to remain on the existing roadway,” McMurry said. “This project is a perfect example of the positive impact that using state funds has over federal funding for projects such as this. We are thankful to the governor and the legislature for their support of reduced dependency on federal funding to address Georgia’s transportation needs.”

GDOT began the current effort to find ways to improve mobility and improve safety along the 24-mile corridor between Cherokee and Forsyth counties back in 2012.

Federal regulations required consideration of three alternatives in the environmental process, which caused great concern with residents and citizens. As a result, GDOT will now solely focus on widening the existing roadway.

“This project demonstrates what can be achieved with adequate funding for much needed transportation projects,” said State Transportation Board member Jeff Lewis. “Improvements to this corridor are long overdue and I am thankful for the cohesive effort that led to this.”

As a result of the funding, public input and evaluation of the current alternatives, GDOT will break the corridor into six segments. The design of each segment will run concurrently and kick off in January.

Those segments are:

• I-575 to Scott Road;
• Scott Road to Union Hill Road;
• Union Hill Road to E. Cherokee Drive;
• E. Cherokee Drive to S.R. 369
• S.R. 369 to S.R. 371; and
• S.R. 371 to the existing 4-lane in Cumming.

“I am grateful for the hard work and perseverance of GDOT in ensuring that the community’s concerns were heard and that this important project will be one of the first to show the positive impact of the Transportation Funding Act,” said state Senator Brandon Beach.

State Representative Mandi Ballinger, who represents Canton, noted that the S.R. 20 is a critical corridor for Cherokee County and she has been fully supportive of finding a way to improve it.

Georgia DOT will continue to work diligently to ensure that possible environmental impacts are avoided, minimized, and/or mitigated and to minimize property impacts.

As the project moves ahead, the communities in and around the corridor will be kept informed of its progress.

---

Image via Patch