Roswell, Alpharetta Starbucks baristas win union election ► PAGE 9
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GDOT creates virtual voyage through I-285 express lanes By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com NORTH METRO ATLANTA — Residents now have a virtual glimpse of what their commute through the Perimeter will look like after the state completes the I-285 Top End Express Lanes project. It’s wild. A bird’s-eye view included in a GDOT video shows the elevated express lanes – two on each side of I-285 – crossing over the Chattahoochee River, then above Roswell Road and Northside Drive in Sandy Springs. The project ties into new express lanes at Ga. 400, also elevated above the main thoroughfare. Northbound passengers could almost fist bump the King Building. Southbound express lanes run to Glenridge Connector. The elevated express lanes are 50 to 60 feet above the general-purpose lanes. David Hannon, with HNTB engineering, is working with GDOT to deliver its Major Mobility Investment Program, designed to address traffic hotspots throughout the state. Hannon said during a virtual Q&A session July 9 that the I-285 Top End Express Lanes project will be constructed in sections. It will run from South Atlanta Road in Cobb County through Fulton County to Henderson Road in DeKalb County, adding two new, barrier-
See GDOT, Page 4
PHOTOS BY: HAYDEN SUMLIN/APPEN MEDIA
Ike Yancy’s Coalition Against GDOT Havoc signs stretch along Ga. 9 at Marrywood Drive June 13. City officials said the discovery of fraudulent right-of-way acquisition in early June has delayed the Ga. 9 widening project at least three years.
Milton asks GDOT to fix Ga. 9 mess City prepares redesign plan By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
A silt fence, orange cones and destroyed equestrian fencing sit along Ga. 9 June 13 in Milton. Many affected property owners want GDOT to clean up its mess.
MILTON, Ga. — Milton officials are working to tackle the fallout of fraudulent activity associated with the Georgia Department of Transportation’s widening project on Ga. 9. Milton Special Projects Director Bob Buscemi said July 15 that the city is coordinating with GDOT to decommission the project through Milton, resurvey the corridor and redesign some features. Work to widen Ga. 9 through Milton came to a standstill June 11
when GDOT notified the city that it had become aware of fraudulent right-of-way and easement acquisitions. The legal mess will delay the project’s start at least another three years, the city says. GDOT says a former rightof-way acquisition specialist falsified internal documents, which led officials to believe that parcels necessary to advance the Milton project and another four projects in Metro Atlanta had been acquired properly, when in fact they had not.
See FIX, Page 15
Caroline Nalisnick C: 404.513.9226 | Caroline@HOMEgeorgia.com
Sam DiVito C: 404.803.5999 | Sam@HOMEgeorgia.com
Allison Kloster C: 404.784.5287 | Allison@HOMEgeorgia.com