Lewis Extension a 'Road to Nowhere'?

An upcoming $1.4 million road project, paid for by 2005 SPLOST funds, will extend Lewis Road from its current Marietta Street ending through the Town Square and to Old Lost Mountain Road, the Marietta Daily Journal reported in June. Additionally, $2 million will pay for property acquisitions and aesthetics, the newspaper said.

Officials hope the move will make the downtown area more accessible and will help with traffic congestion.

Some City Council members occasionally joke that the first Lewis Road extension—which connected Highway 278 and Marietta Street, was completed in 2010, and, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, cost $20 million—is called “a road to nowhere” by constituents.

Far fewer cars are typically seen driving on Lewis Road than nearby streets.

At a June City Council meeting, about the newer project, saying there are already three ways connecting Marietta Street and Old Lost Mountain Road.

He noted a lack of development around the city, and said the project was being made with “futility" and that the money could be “more wisely spent.”

Mayor Pat Vaughn defended the undertaking, saying the city is “hopeful” that “things will turn around” for more development.

We want to know what you think.

Will the new Lewis Road still be a “road to nowhere”? Or do you look forward to using it once it’s extended to Old Lost Mountain Road? Tell us in the comments. 

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