Johns Creek advances Medlock Bridge, Nesbit Ferry trail projects

Johns Creek is pushing two trail projects that could make daily trips along Medlock Bridge Road and Nesbit Ferry Road safer, shorter and less car-dependent for residents who now face long gaps with no continuous pedestrian route.

At a May 11 work session, the Johns Creek City Council reviewed plans for a 10-foot-wide Medlock Bridge Road Trail and a separate trail project on Nesbit Ferry Road. On Medlock Bridge, the proposed segment would run from the Chattahoochee River bridge to Bobby Jones Drive, a stretch the city says has no sidewalks or trails today. The city said a $143,312 engineering contract would start the design phase, with a Project Framework Agreement with the Georgia Department of Transportation opening the door to federal Transportation Alternatives funds. Engineering is expected to take about nine months.

The Medlock Bridge trail is part of a larger corridor strategy. City materials say the new segment is intended to connect with another piece planned for 2026 between Bobby Jones Drive and State Bridge Road, creating a continuous trail along SR 141 from the Chattahoochee River in Gwinnett County to McGinnis Ferry Road in Forsyth County. The trail would also provide access to the Medlock Bridge Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. Johns Creek’s transportation pages say related intersection projects along Medlock Bridge are meant to improve pedestrian connectivity, including one that would add a pedestrian tunnel into the Johns Creek Town Center area.

The Nesbit Ferry project would address another corridor that city materials say lacks pedestrian connectivity and has no bike lanes between Holcomb Bridge Road and Old Alabama Road. The segment under discussion would run from Brumbelow Road to Nesbit Lakes Drive, and staff described a hybrid trail concept with varying widths that could limit utility and private-property impacts while keeping costs more manageable. Johns Creek says four projects are planned for the corridor overall: improvements at the Holcomb Bridge Road intersection, a roundabout at Colony Club Drive, a west-side sidewalk from Colony Club Drive to Brumbelow Road and an east-side sidewalk from Brumbelow Road to Nesbit Lakes Drive.

A Sept. 22, 2025 council agenda report recommended $200,000 for engineering the Brumbelow-to-Nesbit Lakes segment, using Johns Creek TSPLOST II funds reserved for the corridor. The report said Johns Creek and Roswell had discussed sidewalk and operational improvements before voters approved TSPLOST II in November 2021. Under an intergovernmental agreement signed July 25, 2022, Johns Creek became the lead and manager of the project, while Roswell kept ownership and maintenance responsibility for Nesbit Ferry Road and committed $1 million.

Johns Creek’s sidewalks-and-trails policy prioritizes filling gaps along major roadways and within a half-mile of schools, libraries, parks and activity centers. On Medlock Bridge and Nesbit Ferry, that means the city is not just building amenities. It is trying to close dangerous breaks in the network that shape how residents reach homes, parks, river access and commercial areas without getting back in a car.