Johnson Ferry - Bridge Widening

Bridge Widening

From Columns Drive on the northwest riverbank of the Chattahoochee River, southeast to Abernathy Road, and continuing east on Abernathy to Roswell Road (Georgia 9), the roads have been temporarily designated by GDOT as Georgia state route 947. This is due to the heavy volume of rush hour traffic traveling this route to get to and from Georgia 400 and Perimeter Mall, and the failure of Cobb and Fulton counties to come to an agreement on their own, with Fulton at one time timing the traffic lights to cause further morning backups into Cobb.

All but one of the homes along Abernathy were destroyed for widening, but the neighborhoods along the 1¼ miles or two kilometers of Johnson Ferry Road will be spared. Johnson Ferry and Abernathy will be "broken", such that they flow directly into each other, and will require a turn at two new intersections to stay straight on the original roads. The bridge at the former ferry location will be widened between Columns Drive on the Cobb riverbank to Riverside Drive on the Fulton riverbank, from its current four lanes to six plus bike lanes, wide sidewalks, and a raised road median. It is expected to be completed by January 31, 2013.

The adjacent section of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area is the Johnson Ferry unit. It runs along the Cobb side of the river, most of it northeast almost to Morgan Falls Dam, and a small section southwest along Columns Drive.