Johns Creek officials expect a modest increase in traffic when Medley opens Oct. 29, saying completed road improvements should help nearby intersections handle the added vehicles.
Assistant City Manager Chris Haggard said the city has widened lanes at Medlock Bridge Road and Johns Creek Parkway, Appen Media reported.
“It’s going to be a slight bump,” Haggard said.
A 2022 study by Kimley-Horn and Associates illustrates the potential impact without improvements. It projected average westbound morning delays at Medlock Bridge Road and Johns Creek Parkway rising from 186 seconds to 277 seconds—an additional 91 seconds, or nearly 49%.
That estimate describes a modeled scenario without road improvements, rather than a confirmed opening-day forecast. With improvements, the study projected relatively small increases in delay at three intersections: Medlock Bridge Road at Johns Creek Parkway, McGinnis Ferry Road at Lakefield Drive and McGinnis Ferry Road at Johns Creek Parkway, according to Appen.
More road work planned
A separate city project would add a third northbound and southbound through lane on Medlock Bridge Road from East Johns Crossing and Hospital Parkway to Johns Creek Parkway North, crossing McGinnis Ferry Road.
The plan also includes additional left-turn lanes and pedestrian and bicycle connections, according to the city’s project notice.
Haggard told Appen the project remains in right-of-way acquisition. The report did not provide a construction completion date.
A different traffic pattern
Medley is a $560 million, 43-acre mixed-use development on the former State Farm corporate campus at McGinnis Ferry Road and Johns Creek Parkway.
Project spokesperson Raechel Blitchington Lyden told Appen that Medley’s combination of housing, offices, shops and restaurants should spread trips throughout the day, compared with the concentrated arrival and departure times of State Farm employees.
Haggard said the mixed-use design could also reduce trips outside the property by allowing residents and workers to shop and dine on-site.
Nearby resident David Dabo offered a different perspective, telling Appen he has noticed heavier traffic since Trader Joe’s opened in June. He plans to leave home 15 to 20 minutes earlier.
Opening begins Oct. 29
Medley’s public ribbon cutting is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 29. Additional tenant openings will follow, according to the Johns Creek visitor guide.
The traffic analysis has also received a subsequent review. A July 2024 Kimley-Horn memorandum compared trip generation under revised development plans with the 2022 proposal. That comparison does not establish what drivers will experience at individual intersections when Medley opens.
