Wednesday, January 29, 2003
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Wednesday, January 29, 2003 |
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Hwy. 74 S. widening likely to be accelerated By JOHN MUNFORD
Now that right of way acquisition is nearly complete for the widening of Ga. Highway 54 West in Peachtree City to four lanes, state Sen. Mitch Seabaugh is working on speeding up the widening of Ga. Highway 74 to assist industries in the city's industrial park. Seabaugh got Sam Wellborn, who represents Fayette County as a member of the Department of Transportation's board, to visit Friday with officials from two big industries in the city's industrial park, Cooper Lighting and Panasonic. The industry officials told about the problems their trucks face in coming up and down Hwy. 74 as it narrows from four lanes to two once it reaches busy Hwy. 54. Both industries depend heavily on getting their trucks from the city to Interstate 85, so the widening project is crucial for them, Seabaugh said. Wellborn, along with former Peachtree City Mayor Bob Lenox and current Fayette County Commission Chairman Greg Dunn, were instrumental in working with Seabaugh to speed up the widening of Hwy. 54, Seabaugh said. It's that kind of cooperation that will be needed again to help fast-track the Hwy. 74 widening, Seabaugh added. "I'm really happy the Peachtree City Council has stepped up and resolved the TDK (extension) issue," Seabaugh said. The first phase of the widening would be from Hwy. 54 to Crosstown Road, but the second phase, which would extend the four lanes to Hwy. 85 beyond the city limits, is important too, Seabaugh said. The second phase will also involve either replacing or widening the bridge that spans Flat Creek in the southwestern part of the city. Currently, however, the project isn't due to become reality until approximately 2012, Seabaugh noted. "It's about being able to move truck traffic into and out of the industrial park," Seabaugh said. "When it goes down from four lanes to two lanes into the industrial park, that makes it very difficult. And it's a safety issue, too."
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