Spring Road Widening Contractor Picked

A Marietta contractor has won the bidding on a project meant to widen Spring Road in advance of the Atlanta Braves’ move to the Smyrna area in 2017.

Baldwin Paving will be responsible for installing a raised median on Spring Road between Cobb Parkway and Bell Drive starting in January, according to the Marietta Daily Journal. The project also includes curb and gutter work, lane striping, and traffic signal installation.

Smyrna City Councilwoman Melleny Pritchett told the MDJ that at the end of the project, Spring Road will have an extra lane of traffic in both directions. She added that contractors will not be allowed to work between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. during the week.

Councilwoman Teri Anulewicz told the MDJ that 10 percent of traffic headed to the new stadium will be expected to use Spring Road, making the expansion a necessity with SunTrust Park opening in April of 2017. Furthermore, Anulewicz said that similar work done on Concord Road showed the viability of the expansion project on Spring Road.

Atlanta Braves filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission claim that some $274 million has already been spent on the construction of the new park. The county paid $149 million of the cost, according to the AJC.

Braves Chairman and CEO Terry McGuirk announced last month that the first tenants of “The Battery Atlanta,” the mixed-use development adjacent to the new park, would be Superica, Cru Food and Wine Bar, The Tomahawk Taproom, Antico Pizza, and a high-end steakhouse concept that hasn’t been named yet. McGuirk added that there will be many more restaurants coming to occupy the 90,000 sq. ft. of restaurant space planned at the development, the Marietta Daily Journal says.

McGuirk said The Battery would have 550 apartments, no condominiums, and parking for every retail and restaurant establishment on the premises. The name of the development has a double meaning, McGuirk explained; The Battery is a nod to the pitcher and catcher who work together during a game, but the Braves also hope the development will energize the surrounding area.