Milton is taking over the Highway 9 project

Milton Is Taking the Wheel on Highway 9

If you've ever crawled through the lights on Highway 9, you know Milton's main commercial spine is overdue for a rework — traffic there is projected to top 31,000 vehicles a day, well past what the road was built to carry. Here's what's planned, and the unusual way it's being run.

The state has long wanted to widen State Route 9 — the three-mile stretch from Windward Parkway north to the Forsyth County line. But in 2025, in a notable shift, Milton took over the day-to-day management and delivery of the project from the Georgia DOT. Under an agreement the City Council approved last September, GDOT reimburses Milton 100% of the cost — engineering, right-of-way, construction — as long as the work stays within its current footprint. The state keeps final approval; the city drives the design.

What's on the table: a continuous four-lane road (two each way) with a raised median, a lower 35 mph speed limit, rebuilt intersections and signals, and — the part that makes it more than a widening — new sidewalks, bike facilities, and a multi-use trail meant to stitch Highway 9 into the neighborhoods, shops, and schools around it. City staff say the aim is a corridor that "reflects Milton's values," not just a wider state route.

The catch is patience: design and right-of-way work run through 2030, with construction after that. It's a long game — and it's bound up with the broader push to remake Deerfield, the same district now drawing new corporate offices. Got an opinion on the redesign? The city is taking public comment now, with open houses to come as the design firms up.

Source: City of Milton.

Milton High Steals the Show

Some good news a reader passed our way: Milton High School's theater program had a banner night at this year's Shuler Awards — Georgia's "Tonys" for high-school musical theater, presented each spring by the ArtsBridge Foundation.

Milton's production of Water for Elephants took home the evening's top prize, Overall Production, and director Micki Ankiel won Best Direction. Jake James was named Best Leading Actor for his turn as Jacob Jankowski, and classmate Seth Manuel earned an Alliance Theatre Scholarship. "These honors reflect the strength of our program and the collaboration behind every aspect of the performance," Ankiel said.

One more act, on a bigger stage: as the Shuler's top actor, Jake now represents Georgia at the national Jimmy Awards, live from Broadway's Minskoff Theatre on Monday, June 22. The ceremony streams live — so the whole town can tune in and cheer on a Milton kid taking a Broadway stage.

Sources: Fulton County Schools; ArtsBridge Foundation; The Broadway League. Tip via reader Crystal James.

Milton's Five-Year Report Card Is In

Milton also just got a frank look at its longer game. Every Georgia city keeps a Comprehensive Plan — the blueprint for where it grows and where it stays rural — and as the volunteer committee shaping Milton's 2026 update wrapped its work last week, it reviewed how the last plan actually panned out.

The scorecard: of the 99 projects Milton set for itself in the 2021 plan, 44 are finished and 53 are still in progress — only two were cancelled. Advancing 97 of 99 over five years is a real number, and a rare piece of plain public accountability from local government.

Now the city is drafting the next list. The priorities span seven areas: land use (with a hard look at the future of Deerfield), housing for different ages and stages, economic development, public spaces and town identity, transportation (including the Highway 9 redesign above), sustainability, and the one committee members kept returning to: protecting Milton's rural heritage.

Here's the part that's yours: the city hosts a drop-in open house on Monday, June 29, from 6 to 8 p.m. at City Hall, where you can react to the draft in person. Can't make it? You can read the plan and weigh in online — it's the most direct say residents get in the document that shapes the next half-decade.

Source: City of Milton.

One Last Early-Voting Reminder

A quick civic note: early voting in the House District 47 runoff ends this Friday, June 12 (weekday hours are 7 a.m.–7 p.m.), with Election Day on Tuesday, June 16. The race is Jack Miller vs. Brian Cochran for the seat Jan Jones is leaving open. (Not sure where to go? Check your sample ballot and polling place at My Voter Page.)

We asked both candidates the same five questions and published their answers in full, side by side, in our HD47 voter guide — and we'll run the complete side-by-side right here in Sunday's issue (June 14), two days before you vote.

Source: Fulton County Registration & Elections.

Out & About in Milton

A few things worth putting on the calendar:

The LiveLOUD Concert on the Green opens its 2026 season Saturday, June 27, 7–10 p.m. at Crabapple Market (12650 Crabapple Rd). The free outdoor show features cover band Audio Vault with a white-out "glow party" theme — wear white and bring a chair. Food and drinks from Tres Lunas and Chick-fil-A; no outside alcohol.

The city's Red, White & YOU celebration — Milton's nod to Independence Day and America's 250th — runs Friday, July 3, 9 a.m. to noon at Broadwell Pavilion (12615 Broadwell Rd). There's a come-as-you-are patriotic walking parade at 9:45 (deck out the kids, wagons, bikes, even leashed pets — there are prizes for best outfits), then water attractions from 10 a.m. to noon. Bring a towel and a suit.

And for early risers: Horsepower Fitness in Crabapple just launched a free Saturday-morning run club (9 a.m., meet at the front door) — all paces, members and non-members welcome.

Sources: Crabapple Market; City of Milton; Horsepower Fitness.