Bike, Pedestrian Bridge Planned to go Over Chattahoochee

If you’ve ever used the sidewalk on the Roswell Road bridge over the Chattahoochee River, you know it can be scary; especially if you are jogging or on a bicycle.

A joint project between Roswell and Sandy Springs promises pedestrian and bicycle enhancements that would improve safety and could ultimately connect parks in both cities.

“Both Roswell and Sandy Springs want an eye-catching gateway structure,” said Mark W. Holmberg, consultant on the $2.8 million project.

Public input meetings on the project were held on Tuesday at Sandy Springs City Hall and last week in Roswell. Few citizens attended the Sandy Springs meeting.

The proposed project could include construction of a pedestrian and bicycle bridge, 500 feet in length over the Chattahoochee River, and a multi-use trail connecting the bridge to the intersection that links Roswell Road, Azalea Drive and Riverside Road - on the north side of the river; and the existing sidewalk on the east side of Roswell Road – the south side of the river.

Bicycling enthusiast and Sandy Springs City Council member Dianne Fries has been involved in project plans since its infancy stages.  “I’m very excited,” she said. “It been almost two years.”

That’s when Roswell Mayor Jere Wood brought the idea to her, Fries said. “…We work on bike races together. It just made sense.”

Fries envisions bike trails that link parks in both cities, starting with a path that connects Riverside and Azalea Parks to Roberts Drive and Island Ford at the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. 

There are several alternatives for the new enhancements. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, said Robert Dell-Ross with the Roswell Department of Transportation.

“I don’t have a preference,” he said. “I just want to get something built. We're hoping [construction starts] the absolute soonest by the summer of 2013.”

Construction is expected take about a year or less.