A road with a different look, MacDuff Parkway begins to take shape

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The first phase of the 1.8-mile MacDuff Parkway extension is underway. Initial work to construct a roadway with a different look has begun on the south side of the project where the parkway currently ends at Franklin Ridge Drive.

Peachtree City Community Services Director Jon Rorie on Monday said initial construction efforts of the southernmost segment of the parkway extension are now underway. City staff will meet with developers in the coming week to assess the status of the central and northern parkway segments, Rorie added.

Rorie said the expected completion date for the 1.8-mile project resides in the time frame of 18-24 months. Rorie customarily gives conservative estimates to account for factors such as weather and permitting.

A recent update to the Peachtree City Council on the MacDuff Parkway extension project and the bridge at Senoia Road came with a details of what the new roadway will look like.

Rorie and City Engineer David Borkowski on April 2 gave the council a look at the features to be incorporated into the nearly 3-mile roadway, almost two of which have to be constructed.

The parkway will have three, 2-way stop intersections that will include a raised table-top feature with a safety-refuge area in the median. Staff said the large table-top area will serve as a traffic-calming measure.

The project will also include turn lanes at intersections.

“We’re looking at (the parkway) from one end to the other. What MacDuff looks like now, it’s not going to look the same at the end of the project,” Rorie said.

The road project is divided into three segments.

City Manager Jim Pennington during the discussion said the traffic-calming features incorporated into MacDuff Parkway would make it a “calm” drive.

The first segment, from the existing roadway at Franklin Ridge Drive to the entrance to the Everton subdivision, totals 1,400 feet.

The second segment, from Everton to the Scarbrough tract to the north totals 6,330 feet.

The third segment is a 1,900 ft. section from the Wieland tract to Senoia Road and includes the bridge at Senoia Road.

Borkowski said the area of Senoia Road where the parkway intersects will have to be raised approximately seven feet. That construction work could require a portion of Senoia Road to be closed for 6-9 months.

Another feature associated with the project will be a golf cart tunnel on the south end of the parkway approximately one block north of Ga. Highway 54 and a new cart path that will extend some distance to the east and connect with the existing path.

Referencing MacDuff as a complicated project, Rorie said the road design is complete and “the city is ready.”

Visit http://peachtree-city.org/index.aspx?nid=1097 to view and layout and details of the MacDuff Parkway extension project.

Below, this is the view from the south side of what will become the MacDuff Parkway extension that will extend approximately 1.8 miles and connect with Kedron Drive west of Ga. Highway 74, providing a second entrance to the city’s westside village. Photo/Ben Nelms.