Residents Get First Look at Johnson Ferry, Mt. Vernon Roundabouts

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A light, yet steady stream of Sandy Springs residents came to City Hall to review proposals to improve pedestrian mobility and reduce congestion along Johnson Ferry Road and Mt. Vernon Highway.

The city on Thursday hosted the public open house for the planned improvements, which have been in the works for several years.

The proposed project would install two roundabouts: one located west of the Johnson Ferry Road, Mt. Vernon Highway and Boylston Drive intersection; and another at the intersection at Johnson Ferry Road, Mt. Vernon Highway and the Mount Vernon Towers driveway.

Sidewalks will be added to both sides of the roadway. The projected is expected to improve vehicular and pedestrian mobility by alleviating existing bottleneck conditions along the corridor, according to the city.

Many alternatives had been discussed as possible improvements, said David Jackson with Jacobs, the engineering firm the city has utilized to provide design services for the project.

Jackson said roundabouts serve as a “great” alternative to traffic signals.

“They are great for keeping stuff moving,” he said, adding the idea behind roundabouts are slow, continuous movements along thoroughfares.

One alternative called for widening of Johnson Ferry Road and Mt. Vernon Highway in various capacities, namely four-lane roadways.

Another proposal would have realigned and reconstructed Mt. Vernon Highway between Roswell Road and Johnson Ferry Road east of the Sandy Springs Public Library.

Additionally, Johnson Ferry Road would have also been realigned between Roswell Road and Mt. Vernon Highway just east of the library. Between the newly realigned roads would have been two new, north-south roadways east of Roswell Road.

The third alternative would have called for a single roundabout at the intersection of Johnson Ferry Road at Mt. Vernon Highway near the Sandy Springs Public Library. This project would have entailed a single-lane approach/departure roundabout, comprised of four legs that include the existing Johnson Ferry Road in both directions, east Mt. Vernon Highway and the driveway to the Mt. Vernon Towers development.

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The project as it currently stands has been scaled down considerably since it was first unveiled in November 2007.

That project originally included improvements starting at the Johnson Ferry Road/Abernathy Road intersection, and moving east through the ”triangle” area, continuing towards Johnson Ferry Road’s intersection with Glenridge Drive and along Glenridge Drive southward towards Hammond Drive.

Another meeting was held in June 2010 and residents reviewed proposed plans to improve Johnson Ferry Road between Sandy Springs Circle and Glenridge Drive, specifically focusing on the triangle section where Mt. Vernon Highway and Johnson Ferry become one-way pairs just east of Roswell Road.

Residents at that meeting reviewed and provided community feedback on two different designs: intersection improvements and road widening plans; and roundabouts adjacent to the library and area streets where they intersect with one another.

Construction on the roundabout project, which is slated to cost around $14 million, is slated to coincide with the City Center project, the groundbreaking of which is set to be held sometime in the summer.

One resident, Casey Evans, said he was excited to see the city finally take action on ways to improve one of its most congested corridors.

“I live in a neighborhood to the north, and it’s always a bottleneck,” he said of the traffic along Mt. Vernon Highway.

Evans, who has lived in Sandy Springs for less than a year, said he’s also excited about the sidewalks that will also double as multi-use paths for residents to utilize.

He said he looks forward to the day where he won’t have to rely solely on his vehicle to make the trek to the planned triangle park adjacent to the City Center project.

Residents who were unable to make Thursday’s meeting can view proposed designs here.

Photo: David Jackson, left, of Jacobs listens to a Sandy Springs resident discuss traffic along Johnson Ferry Road and Mt. Vernon Highway.