At last Tuesday’s meeting the Cobb County Board of Commissioners, in a 5-0 vote, approved a request from the Cobb DOT to hold a public hearing on an expenditure related to the possibility of a major road project on Cobb Parkway.

The hearing will be on whether to contract for planning and engineering services to determine how realistic it would be to realign Cobb Parkway on the stretch of highway that includes the intersections with McCollum Parkway, Kennesaw Due West Road, and Old Highway 41. The approval also allows the Cobb DOT to issue a Request for Proposals for those planning and engineering services.

The public hearing is required under state law, since the expenditure is likely to exceed $100,000.

Below is a map of the affected stretch of Cobb Parkway.

The agenda packet for the meeting gives the following background on the request:

Traffic Management, Transportation Technology, and Planning is an approved component of the 2022 SPLOST Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Planning Studies is an eligible project under this component.

A planning level scoping study is required to determine the feasibility of the realignment project. The study will include development of a concept, if the proposed project is determined to be feasible.

In accordance with Ga. L., 1991, P. 4492, §11A, the Board of Commissioners is required to conduct a public hearing prior to expending County funds of $100,000.00 or more to employ an independent consultant or consulting firm, or to conduct an independent study or survey. To implement the Cobb Parkway at McCollum Parkway/Kennesaw Due West Road/Old 41 Highway Realignment project, the Department anticipates awarding a transportation planning and engineering services contract that could exceed $100,000.00.

The Department requests authorization to advertise for and conduct a public hearing for this project.

In addition, the Department requests authorization to issue a Request for Proposals to secure transportation planning and engineering services for the project, utilizing Selection Process 2 (Competitive Proposals) of the current Policy for Procurement of Professional Services, as last amended by the Board on July 14, 2020.

On November 9, 2021, the Board adopted a resolution authorizing the submission of a Transportation Improvement Program grant application to the Atlanta Regional Commission for concept design of Cobb Parkway at McCollum Parkway/Kennesaw Due West Road/Old 41 Highway Realignment. On March 22, 2022, the Board adopted a resolution authorizing the submission of a Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant application to the U.S. Department of Transportation for the Cobb Parkway at McCollum Parkway/Kennesaw Due West Road/Old 41 Highway Realignment project.

Conducting a public hearing and authorizing the issuance of a Request for Proposals for this project will allow the process to proceed while the grant applications are being evaluated. If grant funds are awarded, an agenda item(s) will be presented to the Board requesting authorization to accept funding.

The stretch of highway is in District 1, so Commissioner Keli Gambrill made the motion to approve, and it passed 5-0.