Nearly three years after it was installed, the cart path bridge spanning the CSX railroad tracks on Ga. Highway 54 West in Peachtree City is within weeks of being approved for construction.

A contract with the Department of Transportation to build the approach paths to the bridge was approved unanimously by the City Council Thursday night.

City Manager Bernie McMullen cautioned there was one more step remaining because the contract for the project has to be awarded. McMullen said he expected that to be ready for council approval at the next council meeting.

Council indicated they would be willing to hold a special called meeting as soon as possible to get the project underway. McMullen said with his engineering staff unavailable he was unsure how long the project might take.

“We’ll be rushing them along as best we can,” McMullen said.

The low bidder on the $157,490 project was Lewallen Construction Company Inc. of Marietta. The city will have to chip in $31,498 as its 20 percent matching grant.

The bridge has sat unused since it was installed September 2006 as part of the widening of the highway. As months progressed and grew into years, city officials became frustrated with the snail’s pace of the project, and at one time council considered handling the project itself.

The approach paths will spiral up to the bridge and along with culverts underneath the highway will allow path users to not only cross the railroad tracks but also safely cross underneath the highway to get on either side of the busy thoroughfare.

With the bridge unusable, many golf cart drivers have resorted to crossing the highway at a stoplight.

Council’s vote came with little discussion before Doug Sturbaum could be the first to voice a motion to approve.

“We are so pleased to go ahead with this we don’t even want to wait,” Sturbaum said.