Peachtree City residents are being asked to pen emails and letters in support of putting a traffic light on Ga. Highway 74 south for the city’s Baseball and Soccer Complex, commonly referred to as BSC.
The city has put the call out for letters and emails of support from parents, children, coaches, tournament organizers, association officers and anyone else who uses BSC.
Officials are worried that without a traffic light at BSC, a disastrous crash in the area will result once the road is widened to four lanes.
The lion’s share of traffic exiting BSC is going northward, so the worry is that with traffic in both directions going at highway speeds, any auto crash is likely to be serious if not deadly.
A traffic light at the northern entrance to BSC, city officials contend, will allow the safest possible exit from the facility.
One problem: DOT officials say the traffic count at the intersection is far too sparse to qualify for a light. DOT has allowed several traffic studies to be conducted over the past several years but none have been during a peak time of activity for BSC, city officials said.
Moreover, the DOT says Peachtree City can’t put up the light itself, even if the city would fund it.
The Peachtree City Council is planning to personally visit the Georgia DOT Commissioner in hopes of swaying support for a light at BSC. The letters and emails will be carried with council members so they can display the strong support for the new traffic light.
The road widening is expected to be completed by the end of next year, so officials are hoping to get DOT approval soon so the city can allocate funding and secure a contractor to get the project underway.
The letters may be emailed to the city at smchugh@ptcgovernment.org or via mail to Peachtree City Parks and Recreation Department, 151 Willowbend Road, Peachtree City, Ga. 30269. Those using mail are asked to write “BSC Traffic Light” on the outside of the envelope to help identify those letters.
