Wednesday, July 30, 2003
|
Wednesday, July 30, 2003 |
|
#1 priority? $50M East F'ville Bypass By JOHN THOMPSON
The final draft is completed and residents will soon be able to ask questions about Fayette County's ambitious $266 million transportation plan. The plan features 20 intersection or traffic signal upgrades, 28 road projects, 10 bridge projects and seven street beautification projects. One of the more ambitious projects included in the plan is the East Fayetteville Bypass that will cost nearly $50 million, said county public works director Lee Hearn. "Right of way and engineering would start in 2008, with construction starting in 2012," he said. But, he added, Fayetteville officials would like to see the project moved up on the priority list. The bypass would run from Ga. Highway 279 and east of Fayetteville to South Jeff Davis Drive. Hearn said copies of the transportation plan have been submitted to the cities' mayors for their consideration. He expects the Fayette County Commission to unveil the whole plan at a future commission meeting that would include representative from URS Corporation, who did the study. Other items in the plan include: The widening of Ga. Highway 54 east from two to four lanes. A landscaped median on Ga. Highway 85 in Fayetteville. The widening of Jimmy Mayfield Boulevard from Jeff Davis to Ga. Highway 92. Intersection improvements at Peachtree Parkway and Crosstown Road.; Ga. Highway 85, Jeff Davis and Ga. Highway 314 and Ga. Highway 54 and Gingercake Road. The Fayette County Commission contracted with URS last year for $140,000 to do a comprehensive study of the county's transportation needs and to offer suggestions to create better mobility. In its overview of the project, URS officials said Fayette County has 528 miles of roadway, but very few multi-lane highways. "In order to ensure that future needs can be met, corridors to accommodate new travel demands and relieve facilities that will be over capacity must be identified," officials said. Hearn said the county's public works department is currently focusing on TDK Boulevard into Coweta County and the realignment of McDonough Road, County Line Road and McElroy Road as major projects in this calendar year.
|
||