Fulton County Board of Commissioners April 18 signed off on a Local State Road Acceptance proposal from Georgia Dept. of Transportation (GDOT) that will put South Fulton Parkway under state control.

In a move that gives GDOT authorization to proceed with revisions to the Georgia State Highway System, South Fulton Parkway would be added to the system under the designation of State Route (SR) 14 Alternate/U.S. 29 Alternate and SR 70 in Fulton and Douglas counties. The agreement authorizes Fulton County to accept ownership, maintenance responsibility and utility accommodation for portions of Ga. Highway 70 and Ga. Highway 154 once removed from the state system. The revisions will become effective upon the execution of the Local State Route Acceptance Resolution and an order from GDOT, Fulton County Public Works Director Angela Parker said in a March 30 memo.

Many across unincorporated south Fulton have expressed concerns about the potential for increased curb cuts and buffer reduction along the 6.5-mile stretch of the parkway annexed last year by Union City. Residents believe that such a move would lead to dramatically increased traffic congestion in the area and would hamper the emerging reality that, far from being a local highway with local significance, South Fulton Parkway is a road of regional significance with a future that will make it only second to I-20 as the west metro Atlanta’s most important highway. For his part, Union City Mayor Ralph Moore maintains that the city understands the parkway’s importance and is committed to developing the area in a manner that will add to, and not detract from, that importance.