Councilman: SPLOST Improvements Will Make Dangerous Corridor Safer
In the past month there have been two traffic accidents with injuries on Concord Road between Atlanta Road and South Cobb Drive.
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Smyrna’s Ward 4 Councilman said he considers Concord Road a dangerous corridor, but thinks SPLOST improvements to the road are a big step toward safety.
In the past month there have been two accidents on Concord Road, one involving a mother and her two children who were struck by a vehicle while crossing the road outside a crosswalk and another involving a driver who struck a power pole.
“I do consider Concord Road to be a dangerous corridor,” said Charles “Corkey” Welch, Ward 4 Councilman. “I’ve traveled it twice a day for 30 years and with the way that it’s constructed without a turn lane it’s very dangerous throughout the roadway.”
However, Welch said he thinks SPLOST improvements the City has planned for Concord Road will make it safer for drivers and pedestrians. The Concord Road Improvement project is actually two projects. Of the 2005 SPLOST money $3,335,000 has been designated for the Concord Road Trail/Streetscape project that will provide a multi-use trail on the north side of the road between Atlanta Road and South Cobb Drive. Of the 2011 SPLOST, $5,280,000 has been dedicated to the widening of the road plus the addition of a turn lane and medians.
“At each of the medians we’ll have signal lights with left-hand turn signals,” Welch said. “The medians have been studied and proven to be a safer means of road construction.”
Additionally, Welch said there will be a crosswalk and a traffic signal at each of the five median breaks. This will include a crosswalk at intersection of Concord Road and McCauley Road/Hollis Street near the site of this week’s pedestrian accident involving a mother and her two children.
City officials estimate construction will begin in September, but they still need to acquire one piece of property on the north side of Concord Road before that can happen. Smyrna’s City Administrator Eric Taylor told Smyrna-Vinings Patch in February that the City is currently negotiating with the owner of Travel Incorporated Inc., located at 955 Concord Road. At its meeting Monday, Council approved a measure that would allow the City to begin the process of acquiring the property through eminent domain.
Robert
12:52 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012
Smyrna should pay a fair price for displacing property owners. Using the gun of government to force small business to absorb a financial hardship or go out of business is a dangerous precedent and totally unacceptable. I did notice that that the seizure of the property is not mentioned in the justifying article.
Brian
2:06 pm on Saturday, April 21, 2012
What if the owner had bought it for MORE than fair market, and has put some of their own money into improving it? We are in a bad real estate market and it is fair for the owner to hold out until he/she gets all his or her money back plus some. I own investment properties and know that it isn't an easy or cheap thing to do. There are legal fees, accounting fees, etc on an ongoing basis, maintenance and other costs. ALL of that has to be factored in.
I believe the state law should be changed. Fair market is not an acceptable amount for displaced people or investors. It should be 133% of the greater of fair market or cost to recoup all reasonable investments.
Pineapple Muerte
5:40 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012
It's complete bunk that a gov't can decide they want someone's property and just take it. Concord Rd., the SPLOST money, and the DDA have all become so intertwined that I believe we need outside oversight into any of Smyrna's business dealings where these items are concerned. The (apparent) mismanagement of the whole project leaves a bad taste. How much more of these shenanigans are the citizens supposed to endure?
Duncan
10:11 pm on Sunday, April 22, 2012
Total nonsense: as councilman Charles “Corkey” Welch says, he's traveled it every day for the last 30 years...; what makes it dangerous is people not paying attention to the conditions and rules of the road, such as the woman with her two children who was crossing outside of a crosswalk...., no amount of SPLOST is going to stop stupidity. When will someone learn how to 'legislate' a sense of individual responsiblity?
Erik Fernald
8:01 am on Monday, April 23, 2012
I travel Concord nearly every day as well due to my son's daycare is there. There are stretches where it can be dangerous. However, if you pay attention and are patient, accidents are avoidable. Almost every accident occurs due to people making poor choices, not the roads themselves. On rare occasions a road is constructed poorly. If people want to continually see the erosion of their incomes, they can vote for higher taxes on July 31. I for one, do not, and will not vote in this direction. "Call it's " comments have a tendency to lean in one direction every time which makes me suspect. I will read more.