News | Peachtree City

PTC’s ‘cart bridge to nowhere’ still . . . nowhere

Tue, 12/23/2008 - 5:00pm
By: John Munford

Tab to ‘speed up’ cart bridge: $200K; undone bridge may be fixed with SPLOST funds

The long-uncompleted cart path bridge over the CSX railroad bridge at Ga. Highway 54 may stay that way a little longer.

An analysis conducted by city staff showed that it could take an estimated 220 days to start construction with the current process under which the city is only paying $50,000. The remainder is being covered by the grant.

However, if the city wants to cut the time frame from 220 days to about 110 days, it will cost an additional $200,000, City Planner David Rast told the City Council Thursday night.

The catch is that the city is not guaranteed the grant funding will still be available, thanks to the fiscal crunch at the Georgia Department of Transportation, officials said. So may come to pass that the city will have to fully fund the project after all, or face an as-yet-unknown delay on the project.

City Attorney Ted Meeker is working to determine if the project can be funded with money from the Transportation Special Purpose Option Sales Tax. But if not, there wasn’t much sentiment on council to speed up the project for the $200,000 cost, especially given the city’s own budget issues.

The bridge structure itself is complete, but it is not yet connected by a cart path, which will spiral from the bridge level to ground level tunnels that parallel the railroad track.

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Bridge Math?
JAFO 72's picture
Submitted by JAFO 72 on Tue, 12/30/2008 - 3:37pm.

OK. It's going to cost $50K if we wait for 220 days. But, it will cost quadruple if we cut the time in half? Me thinks something is amiss here. The bridge is already built, yet unusable. Will it cost $200,000 to pour the concrete. Heck, I'll mix the darn stuff myself...ensuring that it is done correctly. I think we need to give our politicians some WMAs (Weapons of Math Instruction).

BTW, This is NOTA 08. I had to change my handle since the election of our Chicago crime boss has been over for some time now. "Change...back to the Clinton Administration...you can believe in."


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Bridge to nowhere...
Submitted by forteiii on Tue, 12/23/2008 - 9:12pm.

I should run for mayor on the platform that I could have the bridge open in two weeks! Not only that, but I'll have the police start serving and protecting instead of holding "time wasting" Checkpoints!

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Dui checkpoint
Submitted by mysteryman on Tue, 12/30/2008 - 6:17pm.

Had it not been for the dui checkpoint set up on the parkway cartpath, the other day, the two brazen golf cart snatchers would not of been captured so quickly, keep up the good work g-man...

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YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK
Submitted by mysteryman on Tue, 12/23/2008 - 8:22pm.

Let me get this right, if the city wants to move up the time frame of completion from 220 days to 110 days with the economy being like it is, with millions out of work, and contractors scrambling to keep theyre crew working. now would seem like the time to do it, why not put it out for open bid. and boot the D.O.T and its grant, with the bridge already in place how much can some sand rock and water, aka concrete cost. Oh and i think it would only take 2 to 3 weeks to complete. NOT 110 DAYS. Recall your city council, vote no confidence due to ignorance, Fire the mayor, Dissolve the city charter, they provide no services to us anyway. Stimulate the economy buy a gun... GOD BLESS

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220 Days?
Submitted by fluffybear on Wed, 12/24/2008 - 1:09am.

This is a joke, right?
I am appalled by how long it takes for road construction projects to complete. When my wife and I were visiting here in August 2007, we both agreed the Hwy 74 project would be completed by the end of the year, we never dreamed it was year end 2008. That little stretch should have been completed in less then 6 months.
I've seen freeway interchanges in Southern California go up faster then that. Now, someone is saying it could take 220 days to complete the cart bridge on HWY 54? That project should not take more 4 weeks (barring any weather delays)

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It is a Joke
Submitted by skyspy on Wed, 12/24/2008 - 8:15am.

The joke is on us the taxpayer. If they work harder and get the job done, they are out of a job. I guess I wouldn't work hard to get the job done either if I could drag my feet and have a job for the next 3yrs.

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Tunnel to Nowhere
Submitted by CuriousBob on Wed, 12/24/2008 - 7:08am.

Let's add the tunnel to nowhere to the list. It seems the contractor started work on the PT parkway tunnel by Windgate Rd. but, very little progress of late. Many folks don't understand why it was necessary to spend this money to detour a path around a spillway in the first place. A bridge over the spillway would have served the purpose. Now we are stuck with a detour around the construction that takes you just far enough to get you lost. The signage is terrible. What does it take to get the job done right?

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