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Hwy. 54 widening stops briefly before it can start

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

Construction work on the four-laning of Ga. Highway 54 from Peachtree City to Coweta County has already met its first delay.

The project was supposed to begin today, but recent rains and utility relocation issues have forced the work to be postponed, said Dorothy Daniel of the Department of Transportation’s District 3 office.

“They will start just as soon as they can,” Daniel said.

Long-term, the project will be great news for those who often drive the route, but short-term there will be difficulties during the 23-month construction period with traffic tie-ups due to lane closures.

To keep traffic flowing smoothly during peak traffic times, lane closures will be forbidden between 6 a.m.-9 a.m. and again from 4 p.m.-6:30 p.m., Daniel said.

“At any other time, lane closures can be expected,” Daniel noted.

DOT officials are encouraging motorists to use alternate routes. Traffic information on the project should be available by checking the DOT’s special Web site at www.georgianavigator.com.

Not only will the area’s high volume of traffic play a role in causing difficulties during lane closures, but the project also involves bridgework at both the Fayette-Coweta county line (over Line Creek) and at the CSX railway bridge that spans between Huddleston Road and the entrance to The Avenue shopping center.

The bridge construction will be done in phases, said David Coleman, assistant area engineer for the Griffin office of the Georgia DOT. That means new bridges will be built first for both sides, and once completed traffic will be re-routed to those bridges so the current bridges can be removed and replaced, Coleman said.

The bridge over the railroad serves as a bottleneck now for commuters traveling east toward Hwy. 74. New traffic lights at The Avenue/Marketplace shopping centers and the Wal-Mart/Home Depot shopping center haven’t helped move traffic in recent years, either, although a continuous through lane for westbound traffic has helped move vehicles headed in that direction where they previously backed up at the traffic light for Huddleston Road.

“It’s a project that’s needed and we want to get it done as much as the public does,” Coleman said.

The contractor on the project is E.R. Snell Contractor of Snellville. A large chunk of the $14.02 million cost is for the bridges, Daniel noted.

Work has already been visible on the Coweta side of the project, with trees cleared and pipe being laid for the new lanes. The Fayette side of the project was delayed by condemnation proceedings on 14 of 61 parcels needed here, officials said.

The project will affect traffic on Hwy. 54 between Ga. Highway 74 in Peachtree City and Fisher Road in Coweta County.