Roswell's $98.2M TSPLOST ballot lists 18 named projects, from trails to bridges

Roswell residents will vote Nov. 3 on whether to renew a transportation sales tax that would fund 18 specific projects across the city, from a $24 million loop trail in east Roswell to bridge replacements and $15 million in road resurfacing.

The Fulton County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Monday, Aug. 3, during a special meeting to place the TSPLOST renewal on the general-election ballot. The measure would continue the existing 0.75% sales tax on purchases made in Fulton County outside Atlanta for five years, through March 2032.

Roswell's share is projected at $98.2 million, the largest allocation among the four North Fulton cities, according to the North Atlanta Star. The city's own earlier planning documents estimated $85 million to $95 million.

Mayor Mary Robichaux attended the ceremonial signing of the intergovernmental agreement at the county meeting. "Roswell voters will have the opportunity to decide in November whether to continue the transportation improvements that TSPLOST has made possible in our community," Robichaux said at the Aug. 3 signing.

What the money would build

The city's 18-project list, approved 5-1 by Mayor and Council on May 26, is organized into three tiers. Tier 1 contains 10 projects totaling $84.27 million in planning-level cost estimates, according to the city's project document:

East Roswell Loop Multi-Use Trail (Old Alabama Road to Eves Road via Holcomb Bridge and Riverside roads) — $24 million
Citywide Resurfacing (supplemental, adding to the existing annual budget) — $15 million
Bridge Repair Program (including Oxbo Road at Hog Wallow Creek and Old Holcomb Bridge Road at Big Creek) — $10 million
Norcross Street Multi-Use Trail (Canton Street to Pattingham Drive) — $8.7 million
Nesbit Ferry Road Corridor Improvements (SR 140 to Old Alabama Road, joint project with Johns Creek) — $7 million
Crabapple Road at Hembree Road Intersection (possible roundabout) — $6.8 million
Vickery Creek Trail Rehabilitation (Oxbo Road to the waterfall by Mill Ruins, with potential new pedestrian bridges) — $5.7 million
Hembree Road Corridor Improvements (Wills Road to Maxwell Road, joint project with Alpharetta and True North 400) — $4 million
Atlanta Street (SR 9) Sidewalk Improvements (SR 120 to Hill Street) — $3 million
Alpharetta Hwy (SR 9) at Mansell Road Intersection Improvement — $70,000

Tier 2 adds two more projects totaling $16.8 million: an additional $10 million in resurfacing and a $6.8 million intersection improvement at Hardscrabble Road and King Road, which could also include a roundabout.

The remaining Tier 3 projects were not fully detailed in available city documents, though a residential traffic-calming program is among them.

All cost estimates are planning-level only and include design, right-of-way acquisition and construction. Project scopes would be refined with public input if the referendum passes.

How the list was built

Transportation Director Andy Phlegar presented the project list to council. The planning process included a public survey that drew roughly 1,200 responses, two public meetings including a joint open house at City Hall on April 30, and multiple council reviews before the May 26 vote, according to Roswell Connections.

As we reported Aug. 3, the IGA signing formalized how tax revenue would be distributed among 14 participating Fulton County cities. Countywide, the renewal is estimated to generate more than $650 million.