Canton, GA
Home MenuState Route 140 Corridor Study
SR 140 is a 78-mile-long state highway in the northwestern part of Georgia. It connects the Armuchee and Norcross areas, within portions of Floyd, Bartow, Cherokee, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties. Within Cherokee County and the City of Canton, SR 140 is a two-lane, undivided facility. The posted speed limit along the majority of the corridor is 45 MPH. North of Pearidge Road, the posted speed increases to 55 MPH. The facility includes paved shoulders and limited sidewalks. There is a mix of residential and commercial uses along the corridor with large residential developments located on the northern end of the study area.
Projects Documents
History
From the City of Canton’s Horizon 2030 Comprehensive Plan
The discovery of gold in 1828-29 in Dahlonega created a rush into northern Georgia which led to the demise of the Cherokee Nation. Georgia created Cherokee County in December 1831. The modern Cherokee County was first surveyed in 1832 and the County Seat, originally named Etowah, was established in 1833. When it was determined that there was no gold on many of the 40-acre lots created by the survey, a silk production venture came to the area, and the county seat was renamed Canton in 1834.
When silk production proved a failure, cotton and tobacco became the primary crops for the area until the railroad was extended to Canton from Marietta and Atlanta in 1879. The advent of rail access allowed cotton and the small but thriving marble industry to ship their goods south to Atlanta and Marietta in the 1880s and Canton was transformed into an industrial city when R.T. Jones and other investors established the Canton Cotton Mill in 1899. The mill quickly became the largest employer in the county and the center of economic and social life in the city. The mill built two villages to house its employees, established schools, sponsored festivals, operated stores and built a church. In 1924, Canton Cotton Mill No. 2 was constructed, and Canton became a major center for the manufacture of denim cloth. The City became famous worldwide for the high-quality denim produced by Canton Cotton Mills.
The growth of chicken production replaced cotton as the number one agricultural product, and with the marble finishing business in the northern end of the county, and the construction of the Bell Bomber Plant, now Lockheed-Martin in Marietta, numerous opportunities for gainful employment became available by the middle of the twentieth century. In 1963, workers at the Canton Cotton Mills voted in a labor union for the first time, and the mills began a slow decline with years of conflict between the workers and the mill owners (still led by members of the Jones family as majority stockholders). This conflict and other changes in society quickly eroded the familial tradition of the mill community, and the Canton Cotton Mill closed in 1981.
Canton and Cherokee County have continued to grow and thrive as the county became a bedroom community for the northern Atlanta Region. The City of Canton has been able to capture a significant amount of the regional growth in Cherokee County providing a center for government, finance, business, health care, education and local cultural resources as the county grew. The construction of Interstate 575 provided easy, albeit at some peak times congested, accessibility to the rest of the Atlanta Region. By the first decade of the 21st Century, Canton offered a combination of accessible and attractive employment opportunities, small-town charm, and family-oriented services that spurred very rapid growth and development.
The following issues have been identified from the City’s previous Comprehensive Plan, from the analysis of data contained in the Volume 2 data analysis of this Community Assessment, and through discussions with several members of the City staff, City Council, and the County Planning Department. These issues are preliminary and will be refined and addressed in the Community Agenda of the City of Canton Comprehensive Plan Update: Economic Development, Natural and Cultural Resources, Facilities and Services, Housing, Land Use, Traffic and Transportation, Intergovernmental Coordination: Economic Development, Natural and Cultural Resources, Facilities and Services, Housing, Land Use, Traffic and Transportation, Intergovernmental Coordination.
Scope + Schedule
This scope of services is prepared for the purpose of providing the City of Canton, Georgia with a Corridor Planning Study to evaluate SR 140 from Marietta Highway/Riverstone Parkway to Laurel Canyon Parkway. This study will determine the existing and future conditions of the roadway and will consider interim and long term build-out conditions.
Concepts
The following concepts were presented at the February 25, 2019 Public Input Meeting. There were various short-, intermediate-, and long-term options that were revealed. We are still accepting any comments or suggestions on the presented concepts.
Consultant Recommendations
Hwy 140 Corridor Planning Study Power Point Presentation as presented by Atkins to Mayor and City Council on May 2, 2019. Atkins discussed the various types of data and analysis that was conducted throughout the project and then presented suggested short-term, interim, and long-term improvements to the Hwy 140 Corridor.
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