Kimball Bridge Road Construction Set To Begin Monday

ALPHARETTA, GA — Alpharetta residents who live or drive along Kimball Bridge Road will start to see construction beginning Monday.

The first stages of construction beginning on Feb. 3 will include installing erosion control measures, tree save fencing, and clearing of the right-of-way, the city posted on its project timeline website. As part of the intergovernmental agreement with Fulton County and the City of Alpharetta, Fulton County will be installing a new 54-inch waterline starting at the Big Creek bridge crossing through the North Point Parkway intersection, as part of this project.

Assistant City Administrator James Drinkard posted on the Nextdoor website on Wednesday that residents may have noticed digital signs that went up on Kimball Bridge Road announcing the start of a construction project next week and warning of the traffic delays that come with road projects.

"The project, Kimball Bridge Road – Phase 1, involves roadway and streetscape improvements along Kimball Bridge Road between North Point Parkway and Waters Road designed to ease traffic congestion during peak commuting periods," Drinkard wrote. "This will be accomplished by extending the dedicated eastbound right turn lane from Kimball Bridge Road onto Waters Road back to North Point Parkway in order to better accommodate the evening traffic pattern. A westbound dedicated right turn lane from Kimball Bridge Road onto Northpoint Parkway will also be extended to better address the needs of the primary morning peak commute period. A new roundabout at the intersection of Kimball Bridge and Rock Mill Roads will improve traffic flow and safety, and wide sidewalks on the south side of Kimball Bridge Road will provide better connectivity to the Big Creek Greenway and improved pedestrian safety."

While this project is under construction, Fulton County will construct 4,650 linear feet of a water service mainline within the right-of-way on the north side of the construction zone, Drinkard wrote.

"The waterline project is managed by Fulton County and will be some of the earliest 'real' construction taking place," he said. "Beginning on Monday, Feb. 3, you will begin to see orange construction fencing, erosion control measures, construction cones / barrels, and equipment on the site. Clearing of the right-of-way will begin (weather permitting) shortly after."

Weekday work that does not impede traffic flow is limited to between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Work may be performed on Saturdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. in accordance with the city noise ordinance. No work may be performed on Sundays.

One big exception to these hours involves the Fulton County water line that is being installed in one of the westbound lanes of Kimball Bridge Road. That work will require the closing of the lane until the work is completed, so that work will be allowed to occur weekdays between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. so that the lane can be reopened as soon as possible.

Heavy traffic delays due to construction should be expected, the city said.

"Finally, I want to apologize to all of you, in advance," Drinkard said. "Living with a road construction project is never a pleasant experience. As hard as we try to avoid it, there will be times when you will be frustrated by traffic delays and inconvenienced. Unfortunately, the only route to improving Kimball Bridge Road and easing traffic congestion, takes us all through a period of pain as the improvements are built. The best that we can do is to push through the construction as quickly as possible while keeping everyone safe and trying to keep the disruption to adjacent residents at a minimum."

Target Dates For Key Project Stages

• Design Phase Complete: 4th Quarter 2018
• Right-Of-Way Acquisition: 4th Quarter 2019
• Construction Start: 1st Quarter 2020
• Public Use By: 2nd Quarter 2021
• Total Project Completion: 3rd Quarter 2021