Friday, June 8, 2001
Friday, June 8, 2001 |
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Cart path bridge, smaller rail station part of citizen group's plan for West Village By JOHN
MUNFORD
A plan for managing congested traffic and expanding the cart path system in the West Village area is nearing completion. The latest design includes a possible location for a small rail station tucked south of The Avenue at Peachtree City off Clover Reach, and a cart path bridge over Ga. Highway 54 West, to serve as the "gateway" entrance to Peachtree City. The design was put together through input from a citizens' committee studying the development of the area. That plan will be presented to the Atlanta Regional Commission for possible funding of projects designed to encourage alternate transportation. The new location for the rail station could prevent it from having a "regional" draw yet allow for access to be built on both sides of the railroad, said Jerry Peterson of Pathway Communities, a committee member who drew up the group's ideas. The rail station location won't likely be a project funding is sought for in the near future. City officials consider the cart path system infrastructure key to the area, and getting across hwys. 54 and 74 will be crucial to connecting the West Village area to the rest of town. The committee has focused on the cart path system connections and an alternate local road system for the area. The latest drawings call for access roads built north and south of Hwy. 54 so local residents can avoid clogged highway traffic to get around town. The access roads would be located behind commercial developments to allow access to Huddleston Drive from MacDuff Parkway, which will host most of the area's residential traffic. The north access road would connect to MacDuff Parkway and continue behind planned commercial units before hooking up directly to Huddleston Drive. The southern access road would divert local traffic off the highway at MacDuff, travelling south of the tennis center to connect at Huddleston Drive. Committee member Steve Brown, who lives in the nearby Planterra Ridge subdivision, said the homeowners association is considering moving the subdivision entrance further south so it's not off Hwy. 54. The committee is also studying the implementation of commercial projects in the area along Hwy. 54 West which could have a significant impact. Another key project for the cart path system would be a possible cart path tunnel under Hwy. 74 just north of Hwy. 54 to link the Marketplace retail center to the Westpark office/retail area. Paths could also cross the highway at the road level at two points on Hwy. 54 according to the committee's plan. Peterson predicted that several areas on the south side of Hwy. 54 West would eventually feature redeveloped commercial properties. Several committee members thanked Peterson for his detailed work on the drawings at Monday's meeting of the group. He agreed to add the group's comments from the meeting so it could be presented to the ARC for its preliminary review late Thursday afternoon. After that review, the committee and city officials will have time to tidy up the plan before officially submitting it.
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