A plan to manage

congested traffic and expand the cart path system in the growing West

Village area of Peachtree City will be presented to the City Council at

its meeting Thursday night.

A citizen-led

task force has prepared the plan over a series of meetings the past few

months. Hopes are that some of the projects could be funded by grants

from the Atlanta Regional Commission.

The latest

plan includes a possible location for a small rail station south of The

Avenue at Peachtree City off Clover Reach, and a cart path bridge over

Ga. Highway 54 west, to serve as the "gateway" entrance to Peachtree

City.

The new location

for the rail station could prevent it from having a "regional"

draw yet allow for access to be built on both sides of the railroad, according

to committee member Jerry Peterson of Pathway Communities.

The rail station

location won't likely be a project that funding is sought for in the near

future. City officials consider the cart path system infrastructure key

to the area, and getting across highways 54 and 74 will be crucial to

connecting the West Village area to the rest of town.

The committee

has focused on the cart path system connections and an alternate local

road system for the area. The latest drawings call for access roads built

north and south of Hwy. 54 so local residents can avoid clogged highway

traffic to get around town.

The access

roads would be behind commercial developments to allow access to Huddleston

Drive from MacDuff Parkway, which will host most of the area's residential

traffic. The north access road would connect to MacDuff Parkway and continue

behind planned commercial units before hooking up directly to Huddleston

Drive. The southern access road would divert local traffic off the highway

at MacDuff, traveling south of the tennis center to connect at Huddleston

Drive.

Once the plan

has been approved by council, it can be submitted to the Atlanta Regional

Commission for review to determine if the projects can be funded under

its Liveable Centers Initiative program, which is designed to create places

people can live, work and play without having to use an automobile for

transportation.

City planner

David Rast, who has moderated the group, said the ARC often points to

Peachtree City's path system as a successful program that could improve

the chances of gaining grant approval.

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