Councilman: SPLOST Improvements Will Make Dangerous Corridor Safer

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 while crossing the road outside a crosswalk and another .

“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.

, 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. , Council approved a measure that would allow the City to begin the process of acquiring the property through eminent domain.