Politics & Government

East Cobb SPLOST Projects Total Nearly $55 Million

Local transportation and recreational improvements that would be funded if referendum passes.

Cobb voters have been casting early ballots in the 2011 SPLOST referendum, which will be decided on March 15. The proposed four-year, $492 million extension, if passed, would take effect in January 2012. 

Last week, supporters and opponents of the extension during a forum sponsored by the Marietta-Cobb League of Women Voters. 

What follows is a list of East Cobb-specific projects -- totalling around $55 million -- that would be funded directly if the referendum passes. It does not include countywide transportation, recreation, facilities and public safety projects, nor does it list projects that need state or federal funding. The highlights of some of those projects are summarized near the bottom. 

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Transportation projects totalling $43 million: 

-- Cobb Parkway at Windy Hill Road: Addition/extension of turn lanes and other intersection improvements; $3.5 million.

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-- Hembree Road (Pope High School): Lengthen turn lane and other improvements around school entrance; $250,000.

-- Lower Roswell Road (Woodlawn Drive to Davidson Road): Widening and addition of turn lanes and a median; $8 million.

-- Paper Mill Road (Sope Creek Elementary School): Add and lengthen turn lanes into the school driveway; $950,000.

-- Post Oak Tritt Road (Hightower Trail Middle School): New turn lanes and other access points into the school; $475,000.

-- Sandy Plains Road (East Piedmont Road to Ebenezer Road): Add median; $4.9 million.

-- Windy Hill Road East (I-75 to Powers Ferry Road): Add median for safety and operational improvements; $8 million.

-- Windy Hill Road West (I-75 to Cobb Parkway): Widen and add median; $17 million

Parks and recreational projects in East Cobb total $12.6 million:

-- The Art Place: Interior renovations; $94,000.

-- East Cobb Park: Americans with Disabilities Act improvements; $25,000.

-- Fullers Park: Replace concession and tennis center buildings, renovate fields, replace scoreboards, renovate recreation center interior; $2.967 million.

-- Hyde Farm: Restore historical buildings; $3.5 million.

-- Mount Bethel Park: Replace concession building and scoreboard; $557,000.

-- Mountain View Aquatic Center: Air quality improvements, refinish pool surfaces, paint interior; $1.353 million.

-- Sewell Park: Replace concession and pool bath buildings; renovate fields and swimming pool, replace scoreboards; $2.165 million.

-- Terrell Mill Park: Replace concession and tennis center buildings, renovate fields and replace scoreboards; $2.527 million.

The county is asking for the Georgia Department of Transportation to fund several major big-ticket projects, including the following in East Cobb:

-- A five-phase, $148 million widening of Cobb Parkway to six lanes from Paces Mill Road to the North Marietta Parkway.

-- An estimated $110 million to improve the Interstate 75 interchange at Windy Hill Road. 

-- Interchange improvements at Cobb Parkway and Windy Hill Road costing an estimated $82 million. 

-- And $16 million to build a Windy Hill/Terrell Mill connector, a new road that would run parallel to I-75. 

Proposed improvements along Lower Roswell Road, from South Marietta Parkway to Terrell Mill Road, would be funded only if other funding is available. The $6.3 million project would include turn lanes at intersections and at the main entrances to Sedalia Park and Eastvalley elementary schools. 

Also on hold is a proposed $7.2 million in spending to widen Powers Ferry Road between Wildwood Parkway and Terrell Mill Road and add a northbound right turn lane. 

Also omitted are $2.4 million in improvements to the East Marietta Library, which was dropped to "Tier 2," or a lower priority status, as the Cobb Board of Commissioners whittled down the original six-year SPLOST package in December. 

Here is the full Cobb SPLOST project list

The referendum is officially scheduled for March 15, but will continue through March 11, from 8 a .m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at the main Cobb Elections Office, 736 Whitlock Avenue, Marietta. 


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