Streetscaping in the CCID
Cobb County,
Cumberland Community Improvement District and state officials celebrated the
start of the $35 million widening of U.S. Highway 41 Friday, Dec. 6.
U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson was the keynote speaker for the event. The project,
scheduled for completion in 2017, will widen the area from Paces Mill to Akers
Mill Roads to six lanes and add a multi-use trail. It is part of $52 million in
enhancements to the U.S. Highway 41 corridor. These planned improvements will
create long-term benefits for the northwest corridor, including safer traffic
flow and greater capacity.
This information was copied from Cobb County
web site. Recall that it has been said that Cobb is spending millions of
dollars in and around the Cumberland area on previously planned road projects
and these will be very important in addressing traffic when the new stadium
opens.
So, how effectively are available funds used
when Cobb County and the Cumberland CID work together? From above text:
“…officials
celebrated the start of the $35 million widening of U.S. Highway 41
Friday, Dec. 6.”, and
“…will widen the area from Paces Mill to Akers Mill Roads to six lanes and add
a multi-use trail.”
The existing road is five lanes (now two
lanes in each direction with a center turn lane) and will be widened to six
lanes. This is a distance of about one mile. It will probably get a raised
median as well. That’s one mile, one added lane, a “multi-use trail”, and a
raised median. All that for only THIRTY-FIVE MILLION DOLLARS. What a deal. Makes me proud to be a
taxpayer.
But, that’s “streetscaping”. It may be
expensive but it will enhance property values in the Cumberland area.
But why is it so expensive? Well, lots of
land will have to be purchased for Right-of Way and this is probably the most
expensive real estate in Cobb County. Who owns this expensive real estate that
will cost the county so much? That would be the same people who will watch
their property values rise because of the streetscaping project. Also the same
people who wanted the streetscaping project. And, when installing a raised
median, it is necessary to remove the old road in its entirety and build a new
road with the raised median.
Don’t worry, though. Cobb DOT is going to
build a bridge over I-285 for practically nothing.
Source: Larry Savage
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