State Route 6 Corridor Study Final Report - Cobb County Government

1.0 SR 6 Study Introduction and Background
In early 2006, the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) initiated a corridor study for
State Route Six (SR 6), a major regional travel corridor. The corridor study was
proposed to address five major categories—transportation, transit, land use‐urban
design, corridor management, and financial programming—and identify a series of
recommendations for inclusion in the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and the
Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The study included identifying
deficiencies within the study corridor, assessing benefits and costs of alternative
strategies, and selecting a preferred alternative program of policies and projects within
the financial constraints for the study area. This report serves as the final
documentation for the study.
Many organizations and persons participated in the corridor planning process.
Representatives from local, regional, and state jurisdictions and agencies as well as
interest groups and citizens were involved. A consulting team led by URS Corporation
was retained to conduct the study. The project was sponsored by the ARC, along with
matching contributions from local governments, including the four counties: Paulding,
Cobb, Douglas, and Fulton as well as the City of Powder Springs. The Georgia
Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA), Georgia Department of Transportation
(GDOT), Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) and local
governments were included as members of the Stakeholder Advisory Committee to
ensure regional and local coordination.
1.1 Study Area
The SR 6 corridor study area extends 32.5 miles from SR 61 in Paulding County to I‐85
at Hartsfield‐Jackson Atlanta International Airport (HJAIA). The study area, shown in
Figure 1‐1, includes the lands buffering the corridor within one‐half mile on either side.
The corridor traverses four counties (Paulding, Cobb, Douglas, and Fulton) and seven
municipalities (the Cities of Hiram, Dallas, Powder Springs, Austell, Douglasville, East
Point, and College Park).
Final Report 1‐1
January 2008