Milton proposes four raised medians and a flashing crosswalk on Hopewell Road, where drivers hit 48 mph. The council hears the $125,000-$200,000 plan Monday.
Milton staff want to build four raised medians and a flashing crosswalk on the southern stretch of Hopewell Road. The goal is to slow traffic and give people a safe place to cross between two subdivisions. The City Council hears the plan at its meeting Monday.
The council meets at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 2006 Heritage Walk. The plan is a presentation, not a vote. Staff are asking the council for feedback and for permission to start construction plans. The details come from the city’s agenda report on Hopewell Road traffic calming.
Why Hopewell Road
The speed limit on Hopewell Road inside Milton is 45 mph. It drops to 35 mph once drivers cross into Alpharetta, Milton’s neighbor to the south, the report says.
The city’s studies put the 85th percentile speed at 48 mph. That is the speed most drivers stay at or under. The report says speeds are likely too high for the Georgia Department of Transportation to approve a lower limit now. A cut would need an engineering traffic study and the state’s own review process.
Sidewalks already run along the fronts of the Vickery Crest and Hopewell Place subdivisions and connect to Alpharetta’s sidewalk at the city line. But there is no safe place to cross the road between the two neighborhoods, the report says.
Residents of both subdivisions asked the city in 2025 for lower speeds and a crossing. The city’s Local Road Safety Plan, approved by the mayor and council in 2022, had already flagged this stretch for traffic calming and pedestrian improvements.
What the city has done so far
The report lists two earlier steps:
- two electronic speed signs near the subdivision entrances that flash when drivers exceed the limit
- removal of two large trees in the right of way that blocked drivers’ view at the entrances
Those steps have helped slow traffic at both entrances, the report says. It counts five crashes on the stretch from 2015 to 2024. Three caused minor injuries and two caused property damage only.
What staff propose
The plan has two parts:
- Raised concrete medians at four spots between the Alpharetta city line and just north of Hopewell Place Drive. The stamped concrete medians would be 4 to 8 feet wide. They are meant to make the road feel narrower so drivers slow down.
- A Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon, a push-button crosswalk with flashing lights, just south of the left-turn lane onto Hopewell Place Drive. Staff picked the spot because it sits between Hopewell Place Drive and Southfield Lane, with room for drivers and walkers to see each other.
The road could also be restriped with narrower lanes at extra cost. That would make room for wider medians with landscaping.
Staff estimate construction at $125,000 to $200,000, depending on whether landscaping is included. The money would come from TSPLOST II, the transportation sales tax, under project TS2-2515, the report says. Once the medians and beacon are in, the city could run new studies and ask GDOT again to lower the limit to 35 mph.
The council can tell staff to draw up construction plans and seek bids, which staff recommend. It can also defer the project for more review or ask for another approach.
Also on Monday’s agenda
| Item | What the council is asked to do |
|---|---|
| Parks maintenance contract | Approve a deal with Tri Scapes LLC at a $691,000 annual base price, on the consent agenda |
| RZ26-05, AG-1 lot rules | First presentation; the vote is set for Nov. 16 |
| Event space at 631 North Main St. | First presentation of a use permit for up to 90 guests; vote Nov. 16 |
| Car wash water recycling | Final vote on a 50% minimum recycling rate for newer automatic car washes |
| Plumbing water-efficiency code | Final vote on Metro Water District rules |
| 2027 meeting calendar | Adopt the schedule, with January’s meeting moved to Jan. 25 |
The parks contract replaces a task-based deal with a dedicated crew of seven full-time workers for the city’s parks, fields, trails and greenspaces. Tri Scapes ranked highest of four proposals, according to the parks maintenance agenda report. The deal runs one year with up to four automatic one-year renewals.
RZ26-05 is the second phase of the city’s AG-1 lot rules. It includes a minimum buildable area of 10,890 square feet for every AG-1 lot and larger setbacks for some private pools, the RZ26-05 agenda report says. Our story on the large-lot and horse farm input session explains the background.
Ragin & Associates wants to run an indoor event space in a 1,625-square-foot second-floor suite in Deerfield. It would host corporate meetings, banquets and private parties. Hours would be 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval Oct. 14, the event facility staff report says.
The two water ordinances answer findings from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division’s 2026 audit of Milton, the car wash ordinance report says. The car wash rule covers in-bay automatic and conveyor car washes permitted and built after Jan. 1, 2011. Self-service car washes stay exempt.
The full list is on the Nov. 2 agenda.
What it means for you
- If you live in Vickery Crest or Hopewell Place, Monday is when the council first weighs the medians and crossing. The agenda opens with a general public comment period.
- If you drive Hopewell Road, nothing changes yet. Construction plans and bids would come first, and the speed limit stays 45 mph in Milton.
- To watch from home, the city posts meeting video on its Municode meetings page.
- The votes on the lot rules and the event space come Nov. 16, when both items return on the zoning agenda.
The plan would be paid for from the current transportation sales tax. Our story on the TSPLOST renewal on the Nov. 3 ballot covers what the next round would fund.
Have your say