After years of planning, community engagement, engineering, and environmental review, the Riverside Road Corridor Improvement Project has reached a major milestone.
On July 13, Roswell Mayor and Council approved the construction contract for the project, allowing work to move forward on one of the City’s most significant transportation investments.
The project will improve approximately two miles of Riverside Road between Riviera Road and Old Alabama Road, creating a safer, more efficient corridor for motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, and nearby residents.
Improving Safety Along a Busy Corridor
Riverside Road is one of Roswell’s busiest transportation corridors, serving thousands of drivers each day while connecting neighborhoods, schools, parks, businesses, and recreational destinations.
As Roswell continues to grow, the corridor has experienced increasing traffic volumes and evolving transportation needs. The Riverside Road Project is designed to improve safety, enhance traffic operations, and create better connections for everyone who uses the roadway.
Project improvements include:
- A modern roundabout at River Lake Drive
- A new traffic signal at Taimen Drive
- Raised medians to improve safety and traffic flow
- Dedicated bicycle lanes
- New sidewalks and pedestrian connections
- Improved pedestrian crossings
- Drainage improvements
- Landscaping and corridor enhancements
Together, these improvements will help reduce conflict points, improve traffic operations, and provide safer travel options throughout the corridor.
Years in the Making
While construction is now ready to begin, the project has been years in development.
Before reaching this milestone, the project completed transportation planning, traffic studies, engineering design, environmental review, right-of-way coordination, utility planning, and multiple opportunities for public input.
Community feedback played an important role throughout the process, helping refine the final design while balancing transportation improvements with neighborhood character and environmental considerations.
Preserving Roswell’s Tree Canopy
One of the most frequently discussed aspects of the project has been its impact on the corridor’s mature trees.
Throughout design, engineers evaluated multiple alternatives to preserve as many existing trees as possible while meeting current engineering standards, improving safety, and providing space for sidewalks, bicycle lanes, drainage infrastructure, and utilities.
Within the project corridor, there are 95 specimen trees. The project will remove 23 specimen trees, meaning 72 specimen trees—approximately 76 percent—will remain.
In total, 129 trees will be removed during construction, and the project includes the planting of 49 new trees as part of the completed corridor.
The City recognizes the importance of Roswell’s urban forest and worked throughout the design process to balance environmental stewardship with the transportation improvements needed to create a safer corridor.
What Residents Can Expect
Construction will begin following contractor mobilization and pre-construction activities.
During construction, residents can expect periodic lane closures, temporary traffic shifts, and active work zones. Access to neighborhoods, businesses, schools, and parks will be maintained throughout construction whenever possible.
The City will work closely with the contractor to minimize disruptions while keeping the community informed about upcoming construction activities and traffic impacts.
Stay Connected
As construction progresses, residents can follow project updates through Roswell Connections, the City’s social media channels, and the Riverside Road Project webpage.
These updates will include construction milestones, traffic advisories, scheduling information, and progress photos as work continues.
The Riverside Project represents another long-term investment in Roswell’s transportation network, improving safety today while preparing the corridor to serve the community for decades to come.
