Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Cumberland CID opens new access ramp, finishes Bob Callen Trail extension and advances transit plan
Summary
The Cumberland Community Improvement District in unincorporated Cobb County highlighted this year’s infrastructure milestones — a new Acres Mill access ramp, rehabilitation work at Paces Mill, and the final extension of the Bob Callen Trail — and described a 3.5-mile Cumberland Suite project that will add walking, biking and an autonomous shuttle.
The Cumberland Community Improvement District, which covers roughly 6½ square miles of unincorporated Cobb County near the I-285/I-75 interchange, this year opened a new access ramp and completed the final extension of the Bob Callen Trail while pressing ahead on a multimodal Cumberland Suite project that includes an autonomous shuttle pilot.
"We were excited to celebrate 3 actually, 3 major milestones, this year," said Kim Menefee, executive director of the Cumberland CID. "In January, we opened the new ramp, the Acres Mill Ramp, that allows drivers to access the Cumberland area on the I-seventy 5 Northwest Express Lane system." She added that the district has "over a 100,000 commuters into Cumberland each and every day."
The accomplishments are part of the CID’s long-running focus on transportation and trail connectivity. Measured projects this year included Phase I of a rehabilitation effort at the Paces Mill unit of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, undertaken in partnership with the National Park Service, and the final extension of the Bob Callen Trail. Menefee said Cumberland now has about 38 miles of connected trails and that the Bob Callen extension is designed to tie into the broader Mountain To River Trail network.
Those amenities are being advanced alongside a larger Cumberland Suite plan that leaders say will add roughly 3.5 miles of walking and biking connections and an autonomous-vehicle shuttle network to provide first- and last-mile links across the district. "This project is 3 and a half miles of connection for walking and biking and will have an autonomous, shuttle network that will be part of the project," Menefee said. She described the AV network as intended to help with first- and last-mile connectivity "where it's a little bit too far to walk, but really not long enough to drive your car."
CID leaders emphasized partnerships with Cobb County, the Georgia Department of Transportation and other public and private stakeholders. Menefee noted the Acres Mill Ramp was a long-term project "partnering with Cobb County and GDOT and other partners" and said the ramp improves regional access to Cumberland.
Beyond transportation, the CID pointed to economic-development goals tied to growth: Menefee said the Cumberland area contributes $26,600,000,000 to Georgia’s economy and $20,400,000,000 annually to Cobb County’s economy, and that the district now houses more than 30,000 residents. The CID is continuing to pursue funding for a Phase II of the Paces Mill rehabilitation.
The Cumberland CID framed the recent work as part of a multidecade effort to shift the area from car-first infrastructure toward more walkable, trail-connected neighborhoods while maintaining regional access for commuters and visitors.
