Search the ArchivesNavigation Contact InformationThe Citizen Newspapers For Advertising Information Email us your news! For technical difficulties |
State demands TDK bridge be 4 lanesTue, 01/16/2007 - 4:10pm
By: John Munford
Last week, the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority upheld its ruling that the bridge over Line Creek for the TDK Boulevard Extension should be wide enough for four lanes instead of two. In denying Peachtree City’s appeal, the GRTA decision has opened up another can of worms in the long-delayed project: How much will the four-lane bridge add to the project cost, which is coming from the county’s transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. The city only has acquired enough land to make the road two lanes wide, and City Council members have been vocal about not expanding it to four lanes. So far the city has paid about $500,000 towards the project including design work, and Mayor Harold Logsdon said the city will not pay any more. Although local governments are allowed to overrule GRTA decisions for projects in their jurisdiction, Peachtree City cannot do that because the requirement stems from the 3,000-home McIntosh Village project planned for Coweta County. The city still has to do some more design work and must confirm that the county owns the remaining land necessary for the road approach to the bridge, said City Attorney Ted Meeker. Once the design and right-of-way acquisition are complete, the project can be turned over to Fayette County, which has agreed to build the bridge and part of the road. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking as a contract for the road’s right-of-way requires the road to be completed by October 2009 or the property will revert to Pathway Communities. The bridge alone will take about two years to complete once construction begins, according to estimates. The City Council has contended that the TDK Extension, at least on Peachtree City’s side, will be two lanes instead of four. At last week’s GRTA meeting, it became clear that TDK will be the main access point for residents of McIntosh Village, which lies entirely within neighboring Coweta County. Coweta Commissioner Paul Poole noted that Ga. Highway 154, the other state highway bordering McIntosh Village, is already backed up in the mornings with commuters. Hwy. 154 is also only two lanes at present, with no future state funding identified to widen it to four lanes. Coweta County opposed Peachtree City’s appeal on the bridge width, and Poole noted that the city never came to Coweta to discuss its growth. He said much of Peachtree City shouldn’t have been built until Ga. Highway 54 was expanded to four lanes. Logsdon said GRTA should allocate funds to improve the Ga. Highway 74 interchange with Interstate 85, a thought echoed by Fayette County Commission Chairman Jack Smith. County Attorney Bill McNally urged GRTA to create another interchange on I-85 for Fayette County, perhaps where it crosses Ga. Highway 92. login to post comments
|
Copyright 2010 - Fayette Publishing, Inc. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use Policy
Server 4
