Cobb County commissioners voted 5-0 on Sept. 23 to award a $2.3 million construction contract for the Johnson Ferry Road and Shallowford Road intersection in East Cobb.
The project, known as JOSH (Johnson Ferry-Shallowford), will reconfigure the junction where the two roads meet. Construction is scheduled to start in September 2027, with substantial completion targeted for September 2028, according to East Cobb News.
The contract goes to CMES Inc. of Gwinnett, the low bidder, at $2.317 million. The Georgia Department of Transportation will cover up to $1.8 million in design, construction and utility costs. Cobb County picks up the remaining $468,877 from its 2022 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) transportation budget.
What changes at the intersection
The biggest shift is on Shallowford Road's westbound approach to Johnson Ferry. Drivers heading west will get two through lanes and two left-turn lanes instead of the current layout. Eastbound receiving lanes on Shallowford will be reduced to one lane to accommodate the added westbound left-turn capacity.
The project also adds raised medians, new traffic signals and pedestrian improvements.
District 3 Commissioner JoAnn Birrell, who represents East Cobb, said the project has been a long time coming. "This has been going on for quite a while … This is a much needed project," Birrell said at the Sept. 23 meeting.
Engineering and design work began nearly three years ago, when commissioners approved $400,000 for consultant Kimley-Horn to draw up the plans. Design work under the new contract begins in March 2027.
Construction already reshaping the area
The area is already changing. The East Cobb Church campus is under construction on the intersection's southwest corner, and Waterfront Drive has been reconfigured at Johnson Ferry Road to support that development. Nearby, Toll Brothers broke ground on Shallowford Pointe, a 75-home single-family subdivision, earlier in 2026.
The Marietta Daily Journal also covered the commission's approval of the intersection improvements.
Residents who want to track the project or comment on county transportation plans can attend the next Board of Commissioners meeting. Agendas and schedules are posted on the Cobb County government website.
