METRO ATLANTA — Motorists face an additional year of delays on the state’s Ga. 9 widening in Alpharetta.
The $50 million transportation project has run into utility and right-of-way hurdles.
Ga. 9 is a major artery for Metro Atlanta and North Georgia drivers, beginning in Sandy Springs and running 86 miles north into Lumpkin County.
The Ga. 9 improvement project, which will widen 3.6 miles of the highway from Upper Hembree Road to Windward Parkway in Alpharetta, kicked off in April 2021 with a completion date of spring 2024.
In January, the Georgia Department of Transportation, which oversees the project, announced the end date has been pushed back to late 2025. GDOT cited difficulties with utility relocation and changes to design plans to accommodate new subdivisions as reasons for the delay.
This month, GDOT crews have worked on constructing sidewalks, concrete islands, curb and gutter, and driveways between Upper Hembree Road and Devore Place in Alpharetta. Widening and storm drain installation between Devore and Maxwell Road is starting.
Widening and sidewalk construction has also kicked off between Cogburn Road and Windward Parkway. Crews continue utility work and storm drain installation between Vaughan Drive and Windward.
Alpharetta drivers should expect lane closures, traffic pacing and construction equipment in the roadway as the project continues.
Despite the delays in Alpharetta, GDOT issued a notice to begin construction in Milton Feb. 27. Just more than 3 miles of the highway will be widened in the city from its border with Alpharetta at Windward Parkway to the Forsyth County line, just before Tidwell Road. The cost is set at $68 million.
GDOT will move utilities, relocate and construct new sidewalks and paths, remove trees, and widen the road to four lanes. A raised 16- to 28-foot median will divide the highway.
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