By Mark Woolsey

The pedestrian bridge that links The Cobb Galleria Centre to Cumberland Mall will be closed for several months beginning Monday (March 24).

Cobb County transportation officials say the closure of the bridge over Cobb Parkway is being undertaken so that painting, renovation and enhancement work can be done on the structure, which transportation officials say will reopen July 2.

The $2.1 million project’s cost is being shared equally by the county through SPLOST funding and by the Cumberland Community Improvement District.

During the closing, pedestrians are being directed to the Akers Mill Road signalized crosswalk to get across the parkway.

The structure was first completed in 1998.

About the Galleria Centre

The Galleria Centre is a convention center and shopping complex located in the Cumberland Community Improvement District (CCID) on Cobb Parkway.

The Galleria Centre opened on January 15, 1993, and was an outcome of the same economic factors that led to the formation of CCID, including the continuing movement of economic development to the edges of the City of Atlanta, and the construction of I-75 and I-285.

Several of the individuals who spearheaded the CCID were also instrumental in creating the Galleria Centre, most prominently developer John Williams.

The Cobb-Marietta Coliseum & Exhibit Hall Authority owns and operates the complex. 

The Authority also manages several sister organizations, including Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, ArtsBridge Foundation, and Galleria Specialty Shops.

The complex will be undergoing significant renovation and expansion beginning in 2025.

Groundbreaking is scheduled for the fall of 2025, and the project is expected to be completed by early 2027.

The plans outlined in a press release announcing the work include:

• Demolition of Galleria Specialty Shops and 2nd-floor meeting rooms;​
• Creating an exciting new, 2-story grand entryway, a new junior ballroom to complement the existing John. A Williams ballroom, two unique outdoor event courtyards and gardens with natural lighting penetrating interior conference room spaces, and new connected parking​ with covered, all-weather access into the expanded facility;
• Addition of 13,000 square feet of state-of-the-art meeting space with enhanced graphics and technology​; and
• Extensive renovation and facelift of existing convention space, concourse, rotunda and ballroom.