Flowery Branch has received a $50,000 Georgia Department of Transportation grant for landscaping along a major entrance into the city.

The grant would cover the installation of an array of shrubs and plants along Atlanta Highway between Thurmon Tanner Parkway and Waterstone Crossing subdivision at Vireo Drive, said City Planner James Riker.

“The county applied for the grant with the understanding that if the grant was awarded, the city would pay for the design costs, to prepare plans to do the installation,” Riker said.

“So we’re planning on approving a contract to do the design work. Following submittal of design plans and the approval by the DOT and obtaining the necessary permits, the county will (request proposals) for the installation of the landscaping.”

Officials hope the installation could take place sometime in the fall.

Neighboring Oakwood also has received a similar grant and plans to use its $50,000 to improve the appearance of the area around the northbound ramp on the Interstate 985 exit at Mundy Mill Road, or Exit 16.

Oakwood and Flowery Branch were two of 22 cities and counties statewide that received funding from the Georgia Transportation Enhancement GATEway Grant to upgrade major roads entering communities.

Atlanta Highway cuts through the heart of Flowery Branch, connecting with Thurmon Tanner at one end and the busy Phil Niekro Boulevard at the other.

Exit 16 serves as the major intersection for Oakwood, with the DOT having completed a $75 million widening and improvement at the junction with Mundy Mill Road.

DOT Commissioner Vance C. Smith Jr. has lauded the statewide project as a “fine example” of beautifying Georgia’s public right-of-ways.