Friday, March 2, 2001
Friday, March 2, 2001 |
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The Avenue gets its green light; other projects in the area won't be held up
By JOHN
MUNFORD Despite appearances to the contrary, the Georgia Department of Transportation has approved the construction of a traffic light on Ga. Highway 54 for a shopping center, Peachtree City officials announced yesterday. Developers of The Avenue at Peachtree City shopping center expect to have the light erected and running before it opens March 29, said city Information Specialist Betsy Tyler. There was some sentiment from the DOT to hold approval of the stoplight to see if it was absolutely necessary. Jim Williams, the city's director of developmental services, said last week that the light was crucial to improving traffic in the area. He also guessed that the DOT would eventually approve the signal. A denial of that traffic light could have threatened the viability of several other projects in the area, including the proposed Wal-Mart/Home Depot shopping center on Hwy. 54 and the 350-home Inverness subdivision on MacDuff Parkway. That's because when traffic studies were performed on both those developments, engineers figured in the presence of the light for The Avenue. Had the DOT denied the light, city officials were prepared to order a re-working of the traffic estimates to determine if the Wal-Mart/Home Depot and the Inverness subdivision would pass muster of the traffic ordinance. The city had also planned a course of action to take in case the light wasn't ready by the opening date for The Avenue. First, the developer, Cousins Properties, would have to erect signs directing traffic to the southern end of the property so vehicles could reach the state highway system. Also, Cousins would be responsible for informing the public of the situation through media outlets. The DOT originally indicated that the light for The Avenue could cause traffic flow problems because it is so close to the signal at the intersection of Hwys. 54 and 74. Also, its proximity to the railroad bridge was considered a hindrance. DOT officials could not be reached for comment by press time Thursday afternoon.
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