J u n e 1 6 , 2 0 2 2 | A p p e n M e d i a . c o m | A n A p p e n M e d i a G r o u p P u b l i c a t i o n | 5 0 ¢ | Vo l u m e 2 6 , N o . 2 4
City moves to ease congestion Haynes Bridge Road, Old Alabama to get $4 million upgrade BY TIFFANY MORGAN newsroom@appenmedia.com
By JAKE DRUKMAN jake@appenmedia.com
JOHNS CREEK, Ga. –– Tens of thousands of commuters who endure delays each day at Haynes Bridge Road and Old Alabama may have some relief soon. The Johns Creek City Council approved a construction contract June 6 that will pour $4.5 million-worth of upgrades to the intersection the city hopes will reduce congestion, aid traffic flow and increase pedestrian connectivity. Construction is under contract with Summit Construction for $4 million, not including a $400,000 contingency and a construction engineering inspection allotment of $89,000. Work is scheduled to begin by the end of June or early July. Funding for the project comes from the city’s portion of the countywide transportation sales tax (TSPLOST). Brian O’Conner, TSPLOST manager with City of Johns Creek, said the construction will take up anywhere from 1218 months. Traffic at the intersection will remain open and flowing when construction begins. The improvement includes changes on two legs of the intersection: • On Old Alabama Road turning north onto Haynes Bridge Road, the single left turn lane is replaced with two left turn
lanes. • On Haynes Bridge Road headed southbound, the left/through lane is replaced with separate lanes for each movement, so once improved, Haynes Bridge Road southbound will have dual left turn lanes, a through lane and a right turn lane. Work will also include a sidewalk connection along Haynes Bridge Road from Alvin Road to Berkshire Manor Drive that will tie into the existing sidewalk in Alpharetta and provide pedestrian connectivity to the Big Creek Greenway. The City of Johns Creek Traffic Count Dashboard shows nearly 20,000 vehicles
per day travel the intersection of Old Alabama Road and Haynes Bridge Road. The latest numbers, from 2020, fell dramatically from a high of 19,843 average vehicles daily in 2018, most like influenced by a decline in work commuting from the COVID-19 pandemic. By far, the busiest intersection in Johns Creek is at Medlock Bridge and State Bridge roads, which sees more than 40,000 vehicles a day. The city is in the early stages of implementing some $13.6 million worth of upgrades at that intersection that serves as a crossroads for major east-west and north-south commuter traffic.
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Church marks half century in Alpharetta
TIFFANY MORGAN/APPEN MEDIA
Johns Creek City Councilman Chris Coughlin, right, remarks on the hurdles the city has faced in clearing a path for major improvements at Haynes Bridge and Old Alabama roads. Mayor John Bradberry, at left, joined in the 7-0 vote approving a $4.5 million contract for construction and engineering for the work.
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ALPHARETTA, Ga. — St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church celebrated its 50th anniversary June 4 and 5 with a small festival on church grounds on Rucker Road. The main event took place Saturday afternoon into the evening, with children and families enjoying bounce houses, face painting, a soccer tournament and a donut eating contest while the church’s choirs sang songs of prayer. The activities were followed by a large mass delivered in English and Spanish within one of the parking lots. Atlanta Archbishop Gregory Hartmayer led Saturday’s prayer. “We call upon the Holy Spirit, as the early Christians did, to continue to guide the leadership of the church and the growth of the church and the direction of the church,” Hartmayer said during the Mass. Following mass, celebrants enjoyed refreshments from food trucks and an outdoor concert in the parking lot. The
See CHURCH, Page 17