Governor Perdue Breaks Ground at New Hammond Interchange

ATLANTA — Governor Sonny Perdue helped break ground today at the nearly $18 million half-diamond interchange at Hammond Drive and Georgia 400. As a result, the Perimeter Center area will have a new gateway to combat future transportation challenges and a new opportunity for quality development and jobs at this major corridor.

“This improvement is a testament to the tenacity, drive and dedication of the Perimeter CIDs’ board members and President and CEO Yvonne Williams,” said Governor Perdue. “Together with their partners, they have changed the face of one of Atlanta’s largest business districts. It’s clean, safe and serves as an illustration of a sustainable, accessible and connected future for Perimeter.”

Construction is expected to start during October to build entrance and exit ramps from Hammond Drive to GA 400 and replace the four-lane Hammond overpass with a nine-lane, higher bridge to meet current and future traffic volumes.

The project had been planned for more than 15 years to ease traffic in one of the most congested areas of Metro Atlanta, but the Perimeter CIDs’ collaboration with the state jumpstarted the project.

“The Hammond Drive/GA 400 interchange project is a perfect example of the private and public sectors cooperating on a much needed transportation improvement,” said GDOT Commissioner Vance Smith, who also attended the kickoff event. “This project would not have happened right now if not for the financial contribution of the PCIDs.”

Through self-imposed additional commercial property taxes, Perimeter commercial property owners are contributing $5.5 million for a northbound entrance ramp onto GA 400 and a southbound exit ramp.   GDOT is funding the cost of the bridge.   Sandy Springs also partnered on the project by financing the PCIDs’ contribution through the city’s development department, saving the PCIDs half a million dollars. “This is the kind of public-private partnership we want to see take root all around Georgia,” said Governor Perdue.

“The Hammond Half-Diamond Project serves as a model that proves the success of sharing a common goal, creating bold and innovative strategies and bringing all available resources to the table,” said Williams.  “This project will be a tremendous asset to the business and residential areas of Perimeter.”

A GDOT study released in April 2008 of the existing and projected volume of trips along the Georgia 400 corridor shows that additional capacity to enter and exit the highway is urgently needed. At present, the Abernathy Road interchange is the only access point on Georgia 400 for both local and regional traffic into and out of the Perimeter Center area in Fulton and DeKalb counties.

With more than 100,000 workers, Perimeter Center is one of Metro Atlanta’s largest employment districts. Nearly 35,000 more jobs are expected to be added in the next 10 years, according to a recent analysis for the PCIDs by Robert Charles Lesser & Company real estate advisors.

At Tuesday’s event, Perdue also dedicated the award-winning Perimeter Center Parkway, another project spearheaded by the PCIDs. The parkway, which connects to the Perimeter Center Parkway Bridge across I-285 completed in late 2007, has experienced $8.4 million in improvements including the addition of bike lanes, sidewalks, lighting and redesigned intersections with pedestrian crosswalks, signage and handicapped accessible ramps. The parkway improvements were achieved through a collaborative partnership between the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Livable Centers Initiative, Georgia’s Fast Forward bond program and DeKalb County.

Last year, Pedestrians Educating Drivers on Safety (PEDS) presented a Golden Shoe Award to the PCIDs for their pedestrian-friendly retrofit of the Perimeter Center Parkway.

Perdue also presented a special award to Bob Voyles in recognition of his 10 years of “innovative service and commitment to create the Southeast’s premier urban center.” Principal and CEO of Seven Oaks Company, Voyles was one of the founding fathers of the PCIDs and has chaired the DeKalb PCID for five years.

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