Widened Portion of Ga. 400 To Open To Motorists

CUMMING, GA — Motorists on Ga. 400 in Forsyth County will soon have a little more room to maneuver.

The widening of an eight-mile stretch of the busy highway, from McFarland Parkway to just north of Highway 20, is set to be opened to the public next Wednesday, October 5.

State and local officials have planned a ribbon-cutting for the new expansion at 10 a.m. that day. Later that day, the stretch will be opened to motorists.

"Less than two years ago, voters approved the Forsyth County Transportation Bond," said Forsyth County Commission Chairman R.J. (Pete) Amos in a news release. "Just 11 months ago, we broke ground on the widening of State Route 400, one of the most anticipated projects to be funded by the bond, and now we are preparing to open the first segment of the widened roadway.

"The widening of State Route 400 is a tremendously important project for our county, and our citizens are to be commended for making it happen."

The Georgia Department of Transportation contributed $13 million toward the work and managed the project.

The remainder of the project funding – about $34.5 million – comes from the Forsyth County Transportation Bond.

Approved by 63 percent of Forsyth County voters in November 2014, the transportation bond will finance a variety of transportation projects throughout the county.

The section that will be opened next Wednesday includes an additional lane in each direction on 400 from McFarland Parkway to State Route 369.

The work included widening bridges at Big Creek and Lake Lanier/Sawnee Creek.

Work is continuing on the additional northbound lane from just north of Highway 20 to State Route 369. That is expected to be finished in the spring. Work on the additional southbound lane is set to commence shortly thereafter, county officials say.

The entire widening project is expected to be finished by mid-2018.

The ribbon cutting will be held in the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority's Park & Ride lot off of Deputy Bill Cantrell Memorial Road (formerly North Old Atlanta Road) in Cumming.

The ceremony will be followed by the Forsyth County Transportation Summit, being held at the Forsyth Conference Center at Lanier Technical College.

The summit will provide updates on transportation projects from both local and state officials.

Image courtesy Forsyth County