A delay at the Georgia Department of Transportation is affecting completion of the cart path bridge spanning the CSX railroad tracks parallel to Ga. Highway 54, officials said.

The DOT holdup is due to a review of whether or not the project will negatively affect air quality, said City Planner David Rast. Ironically, the cart path system is widely recognized for improving air quality by encouraging residents to walk or drive their golf carts or bikes instead of driving in their cars for short trips.

Pathways to connect the bridge haven’t been finished yet, although the bridge structure itself was installed this summer.

The same type of delay is also impacting the proposed “gateway” bridge that will be built across Ga. Highway 54 near the city’s western limits, Rast said. The city has already compiled an archeological study and historical evaluation but hasn’t heard back from DOT in four to five months, Rast noted.

Such delays are typical with the DOT from what the city has been hearing from other local governments, Rast said.

Councilwoman Judi-ann Rutherford wondered if the project would be able to come close to its projected cost from 2003 of $618,200. Of that figure, $138,200 would come from the city and the rest from a state grant. But if the cost escalates, the city will have to make up the difference, Rutherford pointed out.