Northside Cherokee Boulevard Opens for Traffic

A major thoroughfare is now open to the public in Canton. 

Northside Cherokee Boulevard officially opened on Wednesday for motorists who have long desired an alternative to using Interstate 575 to access two state highways. 

The entire stretch of road will run between S.R. 20/Cumming Highway to S.R. 140/Hickory Flat Highway, and will also provide direct access to the replacement Northside Hospital-Cherokee facility.

The Cherokee County government, along with the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce, held a ribbon cutting on Wednesday morning to celebrate the opening. 

The four lane road, which is 1.4 miles in length and currently is void of any development, includes a bridge over Canton Creek and raised medians between the bridge and its intersection with Highway 140. 

The first phase of the project, the roughly half-mile section that runs south from Highway 20 to Canton Creek, was completed in 2008 and provides access to Canton Marketplace. 

The second phase of the project, which was a joint venture between the city of Canton and the county government, originally had little to no funding until 2011 when the Georgia Department of Transportation agreed to contribute towards the cost of the project.

The city of Canton later signed an agreement allowing the county to manage the second phase, and Northside Hospital eventually agreed to contribute towards the funding. 

Construction started in August 2012 on the second phase, which cost $8.1 million. Broken down, the Georgia Department of Transportation provided $4.3 million and the county forked over $1.4 million. Northside Hospital donated $2.4 million towards the cost of the project.   

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