Last week the Peachtree City Council voted unanimously to remove two major but unnecessary projects from consideration for funding from the 2003 countywide Transportation sales tax.
Now but a distant memory are plans that would have extended TDK Boulevard from Peachtree City into Coweta County and also widened Crosstown Road from two to four lanes to handle the additional traffic.
The TDK extension was widely criticized in 2005 after it was revealed that the Coweta County Commission had approved a 3,000 home development with adjoining office and commercial property that almost certainly would have led to thousands of cars accessing Ga. Highway 74 during peak commute times.
Removing both projects means that SPLOST dollars previously planned for them can be moved to other projects, but the Fayette County Commission will make those decisions. Both the TDK extension and the Crosstown widening were going to be paid for from the “countywide” portion of the sales tax revenues which are controlled by the commission.
They also were to receive money from the Georgia Department of Transportation, but those funds cannot be moved to another project, city officials were told last week.
The Peachtree City Council is hopeful the county will use $1.8 million in countywide SPLOST funds for two critical projects that are in jeopardy of losing $962,000 in state and federal funds.
The city will need $774,000 to match a $444,000 grant from the state to add a traffic light and more turn lanes at the intersection of Crosstown Road and Peachtree Parkway.
The bill is a bit higher for the second project, a “gateway” cart path bridge over Ga. Highway 54 West near the Coweta County line. That bridge will require $1.02 million from the county to match up with a $518,000 grant from the state.
The bridge would link the residential area to the north with the Shoppes at Village Piazza shopping center on the south side of Hwy. 54.
