News | Peachtree City

Smoother sailing on Hwy. 54 W?

Mon, 06/08/2009 - 1:20pm
By: John Munford

DOT: 54W rush hour improves 50%

Motorists on Ga. Highway 54 between Willowbend Road and MacDuff Parkway may have noticed improved traffic flow on the corridor recently.

That’s because the computerized timing for the signals has been adjusted, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation. DOT is reporting that rush hour travel times have improved 50 percent as a result.

The signals were readjusted to give more “green light” time to cars on Hwy. 54 during the rush hour periods, thereby decreasing green light time for side streets entering the highway, DOT officials said in a letter to City Engineer David Borkowski.

“During the hours when traffic is very heavy, (4:45 p.m. to 6 p.m.) the mainline is saturated,” wrote DOT traffic operations manager Michael Presley. “At that time the signals are set to move as much traffic as possible along the mainline and the side streets get minimal service. This is our standard procedure when a corridor reaches capacity in order to address the most critical need of the area and this will cause some uncomfortable delay on the side streets.”

Conversely, during the middle of the day the signals are set to “accommodate side street traffic on a routine basis and allow traffic on state route 54 to move in progression from one end of the corridor to the other.

When traffic is light, the signals will operate “on demand,” DOT officials said.

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TDK
Submitted by wedrod on Tue, 06/09/2009 - 12:58pm.

As a former resident of Sharpsburg all I can say to you PTC residents is "you deserve what you got". If you guys would have allowed the TDK BLVD extention then some of that traffic would have been diverted a few miles south of 54.

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No Thanks
Submitted by boo boo on Tue, 06/09/2009 - 2:45pm.

It would be only a matter of time before TDK would be over run with traffic. Developers already have their plans ready to build, build, build on the Coweta side. TDK would have spilled out onto 74 which at times is already loaded with traffic. If the traffic went straight onto Crosstown road, it would be going through a residential area. I bet those people would be thrilled to have all that traffic going through there neighborhood. Nope better not to build it, then they won't come...

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Steve Brown: 1/2 true on Highway 54
Steve Brown's picture
Submitted by Steve Brown on Tue, 06/09/2009 - 11:32am.

Last week, heading northbound on Highway 74 (PM drive time), I waited through THREE red signals before I could make a left onto Highway 54 (west). That is worse than Grade "F" by GDOT standards.

It must also be noted that traffic volume is reduced during Summer as well.

This traffic revelation is designed to say the new "big box" shopping center and traffic signal planned for Highway 54-West will not have a negative impact. Does anyone really believe it?


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Going East is fine
Submitted by boo boo on Mon, 06/08/2009 - 4:29pm.

But going West on 54 at rush hour(rush hour in PTC, who would have thought) is the pits. I usually never go that way during rush hour but last week was a have to case. It took me 25 minutes to get from the Library to Walmart area on 54, I took no side streets, I took 54 all the way. There were no accidents, nothing, just slow traffic. I don't believe it is even a mile from Library to Walmart area. 25 minutes is way too long.
Who ever had the brain storm(seem to remember a past Mayor having his finger in it) to put all those businesses in that tiny area had to have a screw loose, or not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Wait until those other shops on the left, across from Walmart open up, we can forget about going thru PTC on 54. The City council, who allowed the permits...Can't THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR SLOWING DOWN TRAFFICE THRU PTC TO A CRAWL! It's only going to get worse..you built it and now they are coming...in droves. Most of the license plates on cars around me, I noticed, were from other counties.

And as long as I'm on traffic, NO ON TDK, what a huge blunder that would be. Traffic spilling out onto residential areas, more traffic on 74...NO NO NO!!!!

Coming back, your article is right, usually sail right along going East.

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Timed lights on 54
Hoosier Fan's picture
Submitted by Hoosier Fan on Mon, 06/08/2009 - 4:05pm.

It has improved. However, when GaDOT says "between Willowbend Road and MacDuff Parkway", do they mean Willowbend/Flat Creek or Willowbend/Northlake?

Would GaDOT know the difference? Do they know the route to TYRON?


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