East-West Connector/Barrett Parkway The East-West Connector and Barrett Parkway are all two names for one major county highway in Cobb County extending from near I-285 north to Bells Ferry Road near I-575 in Kennesaw. Built as a western by-pass and as a route to connect the two major malls of the county, Cumberland and Town Center, the development of the highway began in the 1960's. The north end, a relocation of Roberts Road was built by the state as a new connector to U.S. 41, and was eventually taken over by the state as GA 5 Connector in 1991, and was originally completed and opened to traffic in 1975. The rest of the road took over a decade to complete. The first section to open to traffic was in 1986, connecting Austell Road (GA 5) to Powder Springs Road (Old GA 5). Further extension was completed east to Hicks Road later in the 1980's. From that point, after a brief halt, the road was built rather quickly with sections opened over a period from 1995-2001. The entire project was built by Cobb County and not with state funds with money from the county one-cent sales tax. While mostly an urban roadway with a continuous string of red lights, the roadway does have a couple locations with limited access and an interesting long bridge about half-way. The limited access portions include the Concord Bridge Historic District and a section from north of Macland Road (GA 360) north to Villa Rica Road, including an overpass of Irwin Road. Already swamped with traffic since its opening, the county is planning yet another project to six-lane the Barrett Parkway portion of the roadway from U.S. 41 to Dallas Highway (GA 120). In all, this road is a very major highway with a strong need to become a state route, but its interesting origin as a county project has caused it to be overlooked. A relocation of GA 5 combined with a new designation east to I-285 along Atlanta Road is a reasonable proposition for one of the most important roads in the area. More photos will be posted soon as well as better photos of the roadway. This was the first major attempt to photograph the highway. All photos below are by J.T. Legg taken January 11, 2006 unless otherwise indicated. |
 | Here,
a 2000 section of Barrett Parkway was featured, originally opened as "West
Cobb Parkway", this section completed the missing link of the long-proposed
county by-pass. Part of the problem was wetlands in the area. As a result, to
meet enviromental regulations, a long viaduct with an S-curve was constructed
over Mud Creek north of Macland Road (GA 360). |
 | Continuing
on the bridge, a reverse curve sign is bolted onto the bridge for the S-curve. |
 | Here
is the S-curve. Note that the entire viaduct has a high jersey in the median,
giving it the appearance of a freeway. Indeed, this portion is one of two limited-access
segments. |
 | Approaching
the end of the viaduct. |
 | Skipping
less interesting sections, including the original 1986 portion, the roadway enters
the 1998 segment, by far the most fascinating. This overpass marks the boundary
of Concord Covered Bridge Historic District, which is a short freeway segment.
Though resembling a boxcar full of cargo and meant to look like a wood bridge,
the overpass is actually a standard concrete bridge masked by this unusual design
feature. |
 | East-West
Connector here crosses the Nickajack Creek gorge over this high and long bridge.
The bridge was distinctly designed with a one-bar rail design with faux rock siding
on the concrete part, which makes it almost resemble a bridge on a National Park
Service road. Such enhancements probably would not have been possible if this
had been a state project. |
 | Continuing
on the bridge, the Concord Bridge overpass comes into view. This by far is one
of the most peculiar of the overpasses: most likely designed as such due to the
fact that a short distance to the west of the overpass is the historic covered
bridge that resulted in the extra expense for this section. |
 | The
overpass comes more into view, and is situated in a deep cut of the hill. |
 | Here
is a top view of the overpass. Note again the fake stone and overall unusual railing.
The shoulders also have a cobblestone-like decking on the structure. Access from
Concord Road to the East-West Connector is complicated, involving driving a few
miles out and several turns to do. Photo taken December 9, 2005. |
 | A
short ways east of the overpass is the pedestrian overpass for the Silver Comet
Trail. Having biked over this many times, the overpass features a wood deck that
makes for a rather interesting ride over the busy highway. |
 | The
Concord Road overpass also provides some great panoramic views of the roadway.
Here I am looking back westbound over the Nickajack Creek viaduct. |
 | Looking
east again, the deep cut has the look and feel of a gorge, and is reminiscent
of the deep cuts made for the Silver Comet Trail, which can be seen in the background.
This is from the Concord Bridge also looking east. |
 | Back
on the road continuing east is Fontaine Road. Signalized in Cobb County's signature
style, Fontaine Road here was the reconstruction of an unpaved roadway into a
two-lane highway on four-lane right-of-way connecting the East-West Connector
to Mableton. It was built as part of the East-West Connector project and ties
into an older part of Fontaine Road. Fontaine Road is also the end of the freeway
portion of the highway. |
 | Further
east is the Big Laurel Creek bridge. This was another small canyon that was given
grand treatment, in part to protect the environment below. Unfortunately, such
efforts mean little when considering the ungodly looking development built behind
it that was built in the early part of the 00's. |
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