A long-awaited cart path for a tunnel underneath MacDuff Parkway in Peachtree City may be inching closer to fruition.
The status of the project will be discussed Thursday night by the Peachtree City Council.
The tunnel has been without a planned path leading eastward toward the retail area along Ga. Highway 54 West. Part of the reason for the delay on the project is that a firm commitment was never received from the owner of the retail development, according to city staff.
The other delay has been in finding an appropriate design for the project, as the first draft took too much room from a landscaped area owned by Camden Apartments. Camden officials also cited problems with non-apartment residents having closer access to the apartment buildings.
At a meeting in August between the city council and the planning commission, it was determined that the project would need a pre-fabricated bridge to cross a stream in the area. The benefit of the bridge is the path won’t require as much of an easement from the apartment complex.
The bridge and path are expected to cost about $185,000 to build, but some have questioned the wisdom of the expenditure since most residents are used to accessing the Walmart and Home Depot shopping center from a cart path through the Cedarcroft subdivision to the north.
It has been noted that the MacDuff tunnel connection would be important if the nearby “gateway” bridge over Ga. Highway 54 at MacDuff Parkway is ever built.
