Agency will also re-evaluate Hwy. 154 widening in Coweta

Peachtree City and Tyrone commuters will be glad to hear that the Interstate 85 interchange at Ga. Highway 74 is now being studied for potential improvements by the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Thanks to intervention from State Sen. Mitch Seabaugh, who represented Peachtree City before his district was changed, the DOT has moved the project from its “long range” plan to immediate fruition.

"The study should be done in the next 30 to 60 days," Seabaugh said, adding that "major improvements" to the intersection could take three to five years.

That's still a far cry better than where the study had been previously on the DOT’s shelf in the “long range” category. Seabaugh said he presented concerns about the interchange in a recent meeting with DOT officials.

Those officials were unaware of the growing problem with traffic backups at the interchange, Seabaugh said.

"This wasn't even on the radar screen two weeks ago," Seabaugh noted.

The study should give DOT a better idea of what improvements are needed to improve traffic flow at the interchange, Seabaugh said.

Seabaugh credited the DOT for being responsive "anytime we can make a good case."

"I was very pleased with the quick reaction," Seabaugh said, noting that he'd like to keep "ahead of the curve" on traffic problems.

To that end, Seabaugh has also convinced DOT to re-evaluate the possibility of widening Ga. Highway 154 in light of the significantly sized developments proposed for unincorporated Coweta County across Line Creek from Peachtree City. One development, McIntosh Village, would contain 3,000 homes and a large retail area.

Some residents in Peachtree City worry that McIntosh Village residents will use the planned extension of TDK Boulevard into Coweta County to reach Hwy. 74 and ultimately I-85 when commuting. But by the time the project is on line, the widening of Hwy. 74 from Cooper Circle past TDK and up to Ga. Highway 54 will be complete. That project is expanding the road from two to six lanes.