Project Profile: Cumberland Boulevard Improvements

Cumberland, Georgia

Cumberland Community Improvement District (CID)

Special Assessment: Community Improvement Districts

Local Road, Parking, Pedestrian / Bicycle / Light Rail Transit

Cumberland Boulevard is a loop road connecting four quadrants of Cumberland that opened in 2003 and provides connectivity throughout the community and increases mobility throughout the district. The project took 10 years to complete and was built in four separate sections. There are also approximately 50,000 vehicles that travel on the road daily, and this is expected to increase with the Atlanta Braves, SunTrust Park, and The Battery – a venue featuring shops, bars, restaurants, and music events – in the hub of the district.

As part of the enhancement project, the Community Improvement District (CID) added 243 new light-emitting diode (LED) lights, as opposed to incandescent bulbs, of which 149 were streetlights and 94 were pedestrian lights. This was the first project of its kind from Georgia Power and the lights result in greater energy efficiency and lower energy costs.

Additional project improvements were:

• Widening Cumberland Boulevard from two to three lanes in the westbound direction.
• Improving left-turn lanes where Cumberland Boulevard intersects Cumberland Parkway, the Cumberland Mall entrance, and Akers Mill Road.
• Widening Cumberland Boulevard to the northern side to avoid impacting the Cumberland Transfer Center for buses.
• Installing new signage west of the I–285 Bridge.
• Restriping Cumberland Boulevard to better delineate the left-turn lanes for Spring Road and the through lanes for the Spring Road and Cumberland Boulevard intersection.
• Building sidewalk along the northern side of Cumberland Boulevard.
• Adding retaining walls to lessen impacts to the parking lots of Cumberland Mall and Cumberland Place Shopping Center.

The project improvements also included installation of streetscape features such as street trees, landscaping, street and pedestrian lighting, street furniture, pedestrian plazas, corner treatments, and stamped asphalt crosswalks along both sides of Cumberland Boulevard from Akers Mill Road to Spring Road.

Cumberland Boulevard also received a new aluminum bridgescape with decorative fences and three prominent arches on the south side of the bridge. There were upgraded mast arms installed at several major intersections along the corridor. The widening of Cumberland Boulevard West, located between Akers Mill Road and Spring Road, with an additional left turn lane will allow for safer traffic flow and greater capacity.

$8.5 million

• Cumberland CID – $2.2 million
• Cobb County – $5.5 million
• State of Georgia – $800,000

D-B & Project Bundling

Cumberland Community Improvement District (CID)

C.W. Matthews Contracting Co. Inc.

N/A

Lighting and mast arms installation began in early 2015 with the bridgescape and Cumberland Boulevard West improvements beginning about one year later. All projects were completed by the end of 2017.

The Cumberland CID contributed $2.2 million to the project with Cobb County adding another $5.5 million. Lastly, the State of Georgia devoted $800,000 to the Cumberland Boulevard improvements.

• The Cumberland Community Improvement District has been leveraging private investments to enhance roads, bridges, streetscapes, bicycle trails, pedestrian enhancements and recreational infrastructure which support and protect commercial value within the district.
• LED lights consume less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs. This translates to lower energy and maintenance costs, and a lower risk for maintenance crews as they do not have to be replaced as often.
• The additional lane allows for a larger flow of traffic while increasing the roads capacity at the same time.
• Improving left-turn lanes and widening lanes to mitigate traffic impacts.
• Restriping Cumberland Boulevard to better delineate the left-turn lanes for Spring Road and the through lanes for the Spring Road and Cumberland Boulevard intersection.
• Adding retaining walls to lessen impacts to the parking lots of Cumberland Mall and Cumberland Place Shopping Center.

• AJC – Cumberland Boulevard to receive $8.8 million in improvements
• Cumberland Community Improvement District – Cumberland Boulevard Improvements
• Cumberland Community Improvement District – Cumberland Boulevard Improvements – Fact Sheet

Adam Ross
Communications & Outreach Manager, Cumberland Community Improvement District
(770) 859–2326
ARoss@cumberlandcid.org