There are several options under consideration to make improvements to the intersection of Peachtree Parkway and Crosstown Road in Peachtree City.
But without a firm one selected by the Peachtree City Council, the Fayette County Commission decided to wait a bit on whether it will fund the project through remaining proceeds from the county’s 2003 transportation sales tax.
The most radical option would turn the intersection into a two-lane roundabout, at an estimated cost of $685,000. Another significant change would add a host of turn lanes and a traffic light, the latter of which is not supported in the least by the City Council, and the cost of which is tabbed at $1.2 million.
Commissioner Lee Hearn was critical of the fact that the project was eligible for $444,000 in grant funding that was withdrawn later because the project never progressed.
“As tight and as hard as funds are to come by, we don’t need to let $444,000 slip through our fingers on that,” Hearn said.
Hearn asked about the potential the city could get the project re-funded by a grant, and Haddix replied that the outlook wasn’t good.
Hearn also said he wanted to see the breakdown of the cost estimates because he was concerned that the overall cost “sounded high” based on his experience.
Commissioner Robert Horgan also was critical of the project since the intersection only develops traffic problems two times a day, adding that the project is “a lot of money” to resolve the issues.
Horgan said he could support the addition of right hand turn lanes, but he also wanted input from the Peachtree City Council on how it wanted to handle the matter.
“I don’t want to make the decision,” Horgan said.
The county paid $25,000 to accomplish a study of options for the intersection, with the money coming from the transportation SPLOST.
Commissioner Steve Brown, the former mayor of Peachtree City, said he drives the area frequently in the mornings and thinks that turn lanes won’t solve the traffic backups.
Commissioner Allen McCarty said he particularly does not favor roundabouts as he has found them difficult to navigate.
The commission took no action on the project, and will be awaiting a decision from the city council. Meanwhile at its retreat this weekend, the commission will get an update on how much SPLOST money is available for such projects.
