Grid, New Road Eyed For Johnson Ferry, Mt. Vernon Improvements

SANDY SPRINGS, GA — Hundreds of residents, most of whom live along or around the Johnson Ferry Road-Mt. Vernon Highway corridors, ventured over to City Springs on Thursday to attend a public information open house to get an idea of what's in the works to improve the intersection.

The public information open house, which was held in the Studio Theatre, included a presentation by Allen Johnson, Sandy Springs' TSPLOST program manager. Johnson treated the audience to a brief slideshow showcasing the history of the intersection improvement project. It also included figures from Sandy Springs police, which show 155 accidents were reported at the intersection from 2014 to 2016. Fortunately, none of those collisions resulted in fatalities.

Johnson's presentation was met with a mix of skepticism, cynicism and interest among the residents. However, many in attendance seemed frustrated that they were not allowed to ask questions in front of the entire group after Johnson wrapped up his Power Point. One woman stood up and said she and other residents were entitled to engage in a back and forth with city officials. Her shouts were met with applause by those in the audience.

City spokesperson Sharon Kraun said Thursday's open house was the sixth public gathering Sandy Springs has held on the project.

"The concepts presented reflected considerable input from the public, and questions we were receiving prior to the meeting were mainly related to specific properties," she added. "The feedback is important, and we will take it into consideration as we plan future meetings."

Along with the project, Kraun said the city is also taking into consideration the feedback it received about the format of Thursday's open house.

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Sandy Springs has proposed implementing a grid network to improve traffic flow in the area. Along with the grid, residents can also expect to see sidewalks or multi-use paths along both Mt. Vernon Highway and Johnson Ferry Road. Two grid options were proposed: a full grid method and a compressed grid design.

The full grid, according to city documents, would install east and westbound lanes on both roads that would transition to a left turn lane at the intersections. Southbound left turns from Roswell Road onto Mt. Vernon will not be allowed, nor would northbound right turns from Roswell to Johnson Ferry Road. This project also calls for 10-foot-wide multi-use paths on the inside shoulders, and six-foot wide sidewalks outside of those shoulders.

This plan would also include building a new connector road east of the Sandy Springs Library, which would run north to south and move traffic between Mt. Vernon and Johnson Ferry. The intersections at both ends of the connector road would be signalized.

For the compressed grid model, both roads would still have an eastbound and westbound lane in each direction and a center, two-way left turn lane that transitions to a left turn lane at the intersection. Southbound left turns onto Mt. Vernon from Roswell and northbound right turns from Roswell Road onto Johnson Ferry will be prohibited.

The same multi-use paths and sidewalks would be constructed, and the new connector road east of the library would also be installed. The compressed grid, the city adds, would reduce the overall footprint of the project, but also increase the angle of sight for vehicles that would be turning left from Boylston Drive to Mt. Vernon/Johnson Ferry. A one-acre park and pedestrian lighting are also included with this model.

Johnson, who said he's been a resident of Sandy Springs for more than 20 years, added this area "has been a challenge" for as long as he's lived in the city. While residents agree that the intersection is a problem that needs to be solved, at least three people who spoke with Patch were still resentful of Thursday's process.

Ellen Collins, who encouraged everyone to add their names to an email list so residents can keep abreast of the project and speak with a collective voice, said the format of the public information open house was designed to "control the group."

One of the concerns she wanted to ask was how many of those who are using the corridor and the cut-through paths are from Cobb County. In any event, Collins said the city does have a problem it should address, but added any solution should not be done to sacrifice the living conditions of existing residents.

Kevin and Brooke Henze, who brought their two children to the meeting, said the city's original plan would have cut through the front yard of their home, which they worked six years to perfect. The proposal introduced Thursday, Brooke Henze said, would now displace her 91-year-old neighbor who has lived in her home for decades.

"We've pushed for no cut-through because it damages our neighborhood," she said. "It brings the Roswell Road traffic into the middle of our neighborhood."

Brooke Henze, owner of The Swell Shop on Hilderbrand Drive, went on to say that everything about the project is "check-marked," and the city has already made a decision on what kind of project it wants to implement for the area.

"They have never addressed our personal issues with the impact to our property," she said. "They just pretend like we should rollover and let Sandy Springs move forward with the project."

Kevin Henze also said he and his wife were not thrilled with Thursday's setup since the public was not allowed to ask questions immediately after the presentation. He also said he didn't think it was fair to ask residents to turn in public comment cards at the open house after viewing the concepts.

Brooke Henze added they are not opposed to implementing a grid network in the area "if they think that's such a grand idea," but the cut-through road would not be necessary. The couple said their issues with the city is even forcing them to seriously consider moving out of sandy Springs.

"The city just doesn't listen to us," Kevin Henze said.

Images via Kristal Dixon