Finally.

Westside Parkway's last section will open on Monday, April 23, after a 3 p.m. ribbon-cutting.

"We think this is going to be a big impact to trafifc on Highway 9 and on Haynes Bridge Road," said Brandon Beach, president of the Greatern North Fulton Chamber of Commerce and executive director of the North Fulton Community Improvement District. Beach was speaking to the Windward Rotary Club on Monday, April 16 at its meeting in the Atlanta Marriott Alpharetta.

It took an extra four years as Prospect Park went bankrupt before it was even built, dragging the four-lane road into limbo with it. But once North American Properties bought the property, right of way for the part of Westside that was a piece of the Prospect Park land was signed over to the city. The developer received impact fee credits in exchanged.

Alpharetta had to buy additional right of way at the northern end of the road at Webb Bridge Road, as that section of property had not been part of the Prospect Park tract, though it was owned by a Stan Thomas company.

Beach said the North Fulton Community Improvement District spent $789,000 to buy necessary right of way, and deeded it to the city. As a GA Department of Transportation board member, Beach was able to get $1.1 million in state funds to pay for road construction, with the city picking up the remaining $100,000 in costs.

Alpharetta put the winning bidder for the $1.65 million road construction project, CW Matthews, on notice that the city wanted it completed within 30 days, and that will happen if they stick to this schedule.