While

progress is moving along on Coweta's proposed

mall, transportation issues still are proving the

main problem.

In

a letter to Coweta County Commission Chairman

Vernon "Mutt" Hunter, CBL and

Associates senior vice president Ron Fullam was

upbeat on the development process.

"I

feel we are making good progress with the

securing of our major anchor tenants," he

said.

But

the main problem seems to getting people to the

mall. The mall location is just off Lower

Fayetteville Road and has been talked about for

years. Transportation officials have told Fullam

that it's unlikely an interchange from Interstate

85 would be built on Lower Fayetteville Road.

Instead,

Fullam said he would be working with county

officials for an interchange at Poplar Road,

which would provide an alternate route to the

mall.

Hunter

said he has never been against development of the

mall and pointed out he wanted the interchange at

Poplar Road years ago, but was voted down when

the commissioners decided Lower Fayetteville was

the best site for the interchange.

Another

issue Fullam raised in his letter was the

Moreland-Altobelli traffic engineering firm. The

county works extensively with Moreland-Altobelli

and Fullam has asked the firm to research

possible access routes to the mall.

But

Fullam wanted to make sure there was no possible

conflict of interest in having the firm work for

the county and the developer and asked the county

to tell Moreland and Altobelli if there was a

problem.

"I

think you know a conflict when you see one. We

don't have any business telling private companies

who they can work for," said Hunter.

The

other commissioners agreed and declined to talk

to Moreland-Altobelli about the project.