Sandy Springs, Georgia, which celebrated its 20th birthday in December, is surrounded by parks and natural areas but also crisscrossed by two major highways. The Atlanta-adjacent city, home to over 100,000 people, aims to connect those spaces with trails, bike lanes, sidewalks and transit.
“It's all about connectivity,” said Dan Coffer, assistant director of communications for the city of Sandy Springs. “We really have to get creative, because most of this land is built out.”
With Sandy Springs home to UPS corporate headquarters, the U.S. headquarters of Mercedes-Benz and other large employers, Coffer said an additional 100,000 people come to work in the city each day.
“So, what we're building, from a transportation standpoint, is a network of multi-use paths that are adjacent to the roadway,” said Allen Johnson, program manager for the city’s Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. The TSPLOST is a voter-approved 1% sales tax dedicated to transportation projects.
One project will extend an existing walkable, bikeable trail adjacent to Georgia State Route 400 by 1.8 miles within the city limits. Known as Path 400, the $60 million project “will definitely help increase not only motorist safety, but pedestrian safety as well,” Coffer said. The city reached out to residents in neighborhoods along the proposed path and found they wanted trails and green space, he said. Construction should start this summer and finish in about three years, according to the city.
Sandy Springs also wants to improve safety and mobility along Hammond Drive, an east-west thoroughfare plagued by traffic congestion that often causes motorists to cut through adjoining neighborhoods. For pedestrians, it’s a challenge because it lacks sidewalks and crosswalks. The project will add a multi-use path along both sides of the roadway, with four pedestrian crossings and areas for green space.
About 10 years ago, Sandy Springs began purchasing properties along Hammond Drive to avoid condemning any homes, Coffer said. Construction will start this year, according to the city.
These projects are intended to complement City Springs, a walkable downtown district of retail stores, restaurants and housing with nearby green spaces. “All these three projects are just an example of what we try to do as a city to stay at the cutting edge of transportation,” Coffer said.
Two multi-use path projects will connect with the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority Sandy Springs train station, Johnson said. The city is served by four MARTA rail stations and bus routes.
Sandy Springs’ master transportation plan is being updated and is expected to be adopted this summer. The plan “seeks to integrate transportation and land-use policy while considering the needs of all modes, including driving, biking, walking, and transit,” a 2021 document states.
