The City of Tucker and the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) have started the process for a right of way swap, removing Hugh Howell Rd. from the State Highway System (State Route 236) and adding Mountain Industrial Blvd. to the system (State Route 8 Connector). The change will give the City more flexibility over Hugh Howell Rd. and less responsibility for Mountain Industrial Blvd. Approximately 0.5 miles of Hugh Howell Rd is in the Tucker-Northlake CID.
Formal discussions on the change began in 2018. Mountain Industrial Blvd. sits at the heart of a trucking route between I-85 on the north and I-20 on the south. Over 33,000 vehicles use Mountain Industrial Blvd. each day. This is approximately 9,000 more vehicles per day than on any other four lane road in the City.
In contrast, nearly three of the roughly four miles of Hugh Howell Rd. are through the residential community of Smoke Rise. An area with less than half the traffic of Mountain Industrial Blvd.
The agreement between the City and the State recognizes how each road has functioned for decades. Hugh Howell Rd. is a local road that should be managed locally, and Mountain Industrial Blvd. is part of a larger statewide network that should be managed by GDOT.
When approved by GDOT, the transition for businesses on Hugh Howell Rd. in the Tucker-Northlake CID will be seamless. The CID is appreciative of both the City and GDOT working together for the benefit of commercial property owners, commuters, and residents.