A new interchange on Georgia 400 and McGinnis Ferry Road in south Forsyth County may be on the horizon, according to a press release from the Georgia House of Representatives.
The Georgia Department of Transportation on Thursday approved an Interchange Justification Report (IJR) on the proposed project much to the delight of the Forsyth County Legislative Delegation.
State lawmakers from Forsyth, North Fulton, Dawson, Cherokee and Lumpkin counties, who make up the delegation, have long supported the road project.
“We are very pleased that this important new interchange received approval from the Federal Highway Administration and GDOT," the delegation said. "A new interchange at 400 and McGinnis Ferry will provide improved mobility and drive economic development in our growing community."
The delegation also said they will continue to work diligently for additional approvals and funding for this project.
While construction funding for the interchange has not yet been programmed, GDOT plans to utilize federal funds previously earmarked for the project to begin preliminary design work in fiscal year 2014, the press release stated.
Former U.S. Representative John Linder and U.S. Representative Lynn Westmoreland previously set aside a total of $3.5 million to be used on the estimated $22 million project.
“This is a long-awaited and much needed interchange,” said State Transportation Board Member Rudy Bowen. “The department has spent more than $70 million in recent years upgrading McGinnis Ferry Road and improving east-west mobility for Forsyth, Gwinnett and North Fulton motorists. This will be a continuation of those efforts.”
Transportation Board Member Emily Dunn said she was delighted with the proposed project.
“Forsyth County is not only a wonderful place to live; it is developing into a huge economic driver for the Metro Northside," she said. "Better connectivity to GA 400 will complement both of those attributes.”
The purpose of an IJR is to analyze the impact and suitability of proposed or possible new interchanges on the operational integrity of the affected highway. In this instance, GDOT engineers and planners reviewed the IJR submitted by Forsyth County and concluded the proposed interchange would provide operational improvement in the area.
What are your thoughts about the projected interchange, do you think it will help with traffic flow on 400?
Editor's Note: The Forsyth County Legislative Delegation includes: Rep. Mark Hamilton (R-Cumming), Rep. Geoff Duncan (R-Cumming), Rep. Calvin Hill (R-Canton), Rep. Mike Dudgeon (R-Johns Creek), Rep. Kevin Tanner (R-Dawsonville), Sen. Jack Murphy (R-Cumming) and Sen. Steve Gooch (R-Dahlonega).
Don’t miss any Cumming news. Subscribe to Cumming Patch’s free newsletter, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
Always amused by those who want to "get people out of their cars" because what they are really asking is how to get "other people" out of their cars, not them. If you really just want to be out of "your car", please ride the XPress Bus. http://www.xpressga.com/
Looking forward, there's literally square-miles of both residential and commercial development slated for that area upon Ronald Regan Road between McGinnis Ferry and McFarland Roads, and because Union Hill is too close to Hwy. 400 McFarland Exit 12 THIS "Interchange" represents the best placement of any "New" Hwy. 400 Interchange construed to service that growth, especially for it's position being relatively closer to "Between" Windward Pkwy. and McFarland today, as DOT design guidelines predicate that interchanges aren't built within One mile of another.