Sandy Springs City Council approves funds for two street projects

At its July 16 meeting, the Sandy Springs City Council awarded a $1.15 million contract for concept design services for the Roswell Road North End Boulevard Project.

The council also approved $1.5 million in grant and loan agreements to make improvements at the Boylston Drive and Hammond Drive intersection.

The city awarded the contract to Health & Lineback Engineers of Marietta. The contract covers data preparation, concept development, and an open house to give the public information about the concept design. The city received $950,000 in federal funding for the project, with the city providing a 20% match.

Public Works Director Marty Martin said that the Roswell Road North End Boulevard Project’s aim is to improve bicycle and pedestrian facilities and improve the safety and operations of the transportation system on Roswell Road between Roberts Drive and Dunwoody Place. The project will include a landscape median and a 12-foot-wide sidepath with a 5-foot-wide landscape buffer. An additional signal system with pedestrian crossing will be installed north of Dunwoody Place at North River Parkway.

Martin said the public should expect an open house for the project in 2025.

The city council also approved an agreement with the State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA) for $650,000 in grant funds for the Boylston Drive and Hammond Drive Intersection Improvements and Streetscape Project.

Another $850,000 was approved in a low-interest loan also as part of the 2024 Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank Program. The total funds were $500,000 less than what the city requested. Martin said the city expects to have sufficient funds to construct the project on schedule.

“I might add, this is some of the toughest money to get, because there’s not a lot of money in this particular fund, and it requires the governor’s approval. And we were able to get that,” Mayor Rusty Paul said.

Only about a dozen projects statewide were approved in this program, he said.

The project will realign the intersection of Boylston Drive and Hammond Drive and include the installation of a sidewalk and side paths on the west side of Boylston Drive to complete the pedestrian network between Hammond Drive and Hildebrand Drive. Martin said the city expects to advertise for construction bids this summer.

The intersection of Hammond Drive and Boylston Drive (Hammond Glen) is not aligned, creating both operational delays and safety issues, Martin said. The proposed sidewalk and sidepath is part of the city’s vision to build a walkable, bikeable community.

An estimate by staff set the project’s cost at $5.5 million. More than $3.9 million will come from the city’s capital improvement program, with the SRTA grant and loan providing the rest of the funding. The interest rate on the 5-year loan is 2.74%.

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