Milton Residents Want Traffic Fixed Without Damaging Historic Character

Milton residents and property owners stopped by the in the middle of rush hour on Tuesday  to talk about traffic.

The Georgia Department of Transportation held an open house to collect comments from local residents on its ideas to ease traffic problems in Historic Crabapple. Four alternatives were presented to residents, most of whom seemed to want at least a few of the ideas used:

• Alternative 1: Adding turn lanes on Broadwell Road, Birmingham Highway and Crabapple Road;
• Alternative 2: Constructing Alternative 1, plus extending from a new roundabout at Crabapple Chase Drive at Crabapple Road to McFarlin Lane at Birmingham Highway, where another roundabout would be built;

How to use a roundabout: For pedestrians, bicyclists, cars and trucks.

• Alternative 3: Constructing Alternative 1, plus building a new road from McFarlin Lane at Birmingham Highway (with a roundabout) to Mayfield Road at Charlotte Road, leaving the latter intersection signalized;
• Alternative 4: Constructing Alternative 1, plus building road from Broadwell to Mid-Broadwell and connecting with Charlotte Drive, either extending Dunbrody Drive or Marstrow Drive.

Residents at the open house seemed generally interested in completing the plan, which would in part route non-through traffic away from the main intersection by extending and creating other roads.

Something needs to be done and the plans presented could help, said Tom Stathem. But it's been a long time since talk of fixing the intersection started

"It's an 18-year-old conversation," he said.

Crabapple resident Pam Forester said she thinks the parts of GDOT's plans that route traffic from the intersection yet don't impact the historic properties, should be constructed.

"I think there is a lot of road on that," she said of the plan.

In general, Sally Rich-Kolb things it's a good plan.

"My only concern is that I'd hate to destroy the historic character of the area, the intersection especially, the main intersection, with turn lanes that may or may not work in the long run," she said.

Rich-Kolb wants the intersection back how it was seven to ten years ago, "where each street had its own timing so the cars on that particular road could go through the intersection without needing to stop to take a left or right or whatever."

That eliminates the need for turn lanes and gives time to build the other parts of the plan that she hopes will solve the traffic problems, she said.

And Kelly Reinkemeyer believes completing every part of the plans is better than just pieces of it.

"I like the overall plan, I just hope that they respect the pedestrian-friendly, the bike lanes and keep the traffic slow," she said.

But the overall plan is great, and personally it would seem more advantageous to do the whole plan vs. piecemeal it. Because the whole plan is a better solution than the individual parts to the traffic issues," Reinkemeyer said.

Dick Myrick said he thinks it's needed, and if everything was done on the plan, it could help.

To add your opinion:

Visit Milton's web page for more on the project. Comments may be submitted to Sara Leaders at the city, or at GDOT's website on its Public Outreach pages. Search in Fulton County for "Intersection Improvements at CR 1324/Mayfield Road." Comment cards picked up at the meeting and not turned in will be accepted until Oct. 11. Written statements will be accepted until Oct. 13.