The Frustrating Vinings Train

Whether you’re a Vinings resident or not, there’s little doubt that you’ve been caught by the train when trying to slip through the village along Paces Ferry. It was estimated at last week’s Vinings Vision Plan meeting that 65 trains travel through Vinings a day.

There’s a lot to love about Vinings, but its traffic congestion, the flow and speed, is not vey high on the list. Still, there could be some relief coming when Plant McDonough, south of Vinings off Plant Atkinson Road, switches to natural gas.

Georgia Power is in the process of retiring two, smaller, coal-fueled generating units at the plant, and replacing them with three 840-megawatt combined cycle natural gas units.

When Plant McDonough makes the transition to natural gas next year, about 25 trains per day that would normally carry coal through Vinings to the plant will no longer be passing by and delaying your progress.

A left turn signal at the Paces Ferry and Paces Mill intersection is also a consideration. The idea has been floated of an alternative road connecting the Cumberland Parkway/I-285 area with Cobb Parkway north of Paces Ferry; possibly connecting Mt. Wilkinson Parkway with Paces Mill near the Cobb Parkway intersection.

What are your thoughts on this particular issue and how can Vinings improve this problem that many see as the village’s chief concern? Let us know and let’s get the conversation started.