The Georgia

Department of Transportation has decided to chip in $200,000 toward the

construction of the cart path bridge to span the CSX railroad tracks and

connect the West Village area to the rest of Peachtree City.

The bridge,

projected to cost between $600,000 and $800,000, will have to wait, though.

Since the DOT funding won't be available until June of 2002, the city

will wait until then to solicit bids for the project, said City Planner

David Rast.

The bridge

will hook up to the path behind the Marketplace retail center, and it

will cross over to Line Creek Baptist Church, Rast said. From there the

path will extend to the future Wal-Mart and Home Depot stores, he said.

RAM Development has agreed to put the paths in place for Wal-Mart and

Home Depot, Rast added.

The city is

asking the DOT whether it could be feasible to locate the bridge near

the Ga. Highway 54 roadway bridge. That way, the city could use the DOT's

right-of-way without worrying about securing additional right-of-way from

the railroad.

But much of

that concept depends on how long it might take for the state to widen

that bridge when Hwy. 54 is eventually expanded to four lanes, Rast said.

The timing

of the highway widening also hinges on another cart path project involving

the bridge: tunneling the cart path system under the highway to create

a "cloverleaf" approach to the bridge. Such a design would allow

residents from Planterra Ridge subdivision to travel under Hwy. 54, access

the bridge, cross the railroad tracks and then head south under another

tunnel to reach The Avenue at Peachtree City retail center, which is currently

under construction.

The "cloverleaf"

design is so named because it will use loops to bring the path from the

lower level of the tunnel up to the bridge, which will be much higher

in elevation.

"It's

a rather innovative solution," Rast said.

Cousins Properties,

the developer of The Avenue project, has also agreed to connect the center

to the cart path also, Rast said.

The DOT may

also help fund the project to tunnel under the highway, Rast said.

The city had

originally requested $300,000 in DOT funds for the bridge, but the number

was cut because there were so many other projects that were funded, Rast

said. The city already has $250,000 in impact fees designated for the

bridge, he added.