With the passage by a 2-to-1 margin of the Fayette County Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) on March 21, Peachtree City Administrator Jon Rorie said first-up on the SPLOST project list will be the dam and spillway at Lake Peachtree, an intersection improvement at Ga. Highway 54 West and Planterra Way and the beginning of road resurfacing work.
Peachtree City is expected to receive approximately $45.5 million in SPLOST revenue over the six-year period, with the initial revenue beginning in September.
Rorie was quick to note the impact of verified revenue on the number of projects that will get underway this year and the timelines involved.
“Projects center on cash flow,” Rorie said.
The first projects to be engaged using SPLOST proceeds will be the dam and spillway project which includes temporarily lowering Lake Peachtree, an intersection improvement at Hwy. 54 and Planterra Way and some of the many road surfacing projects.
The dam and spillway enhancements allocated through SPLOST total $1.95 million. With construction already planned to begin in late summer, the estimated cost of the spillway is $3.4 million, of which Fayette County will contribute $2 million.
Rorie said another initial SPLOST project will be the safety improvements at Hwy. 54 West and Planterra. At a cost of $650,000, the improvements will facilitate side street traffic movements and eliminate the split-phase, left-turn signal to increase traffic flow along the Hwy. 54 corridor.
The project is proposed to add a dedicated left turn lane out of Planterra, construct dual left turn lanes exiting Walmart and make appropriate signal modifications.
As for the beginning of the road resurfacing projects, there are a wealth of streets across the city in need of work. The SPLOST carried a total of $22.48 million for resurfacing projects that will run through 2022.
Pertaining to the dam and spillway project, the design favored by council members was a three-stage piano key weir (barrier). That design was approved because it fits in the existing spillway area, avoids the use of mechanical devices, meets Georgia Safe Dams standards and will not increase flooding upstream or downstream during 100-year storms.
The current spillway can handle eight inches of rain in 24 hours. The new spillway will be able to handle the state standard of 18 inches of rain in 12 hours.
The project also includes adding a 1.4-foot parapet wall, essentially a berm, to the dam which is situated immediately to the west of the spillway.
Also in included in the project is removing the top section of a small peninsular area situated between the dam and spillway to provide for improved inflow to the spillway. The remaining area could be used as park space.
As was noted months ago in public meetings, Rorie said the lake will have to be lowered, but not drained, during construction and a temporary coffer dam installed immediately north of the spillway, with a significant portion of the work done during the fall and winter.
The project will also include temporarily lowering Lake Kedron by two feet during a portion of the project as a safety precaution.
The construction of a bridge allowing for two-way traffic immediately south of the spillway has been a source of interest by citizens. The multi-use bridge is expected to cost approximately $400,000.
For a look at the city’s SPLOST projects in detail visit http://www.peachtree-city.org/index.aspx?NID=1117
