When Ga. Highway 54 west in

Peachtree City is widened to four lanes, state transportation officials

expect to have traffic volumes as high as 42,000 cars a day.

But 20 years down the road,

that number could skyrocket to 66,000 cars, at least according to current

projections.

And that's why the road widening

project was designed with a 44-foot grassy median between the eastbound

and westbound lanes of traffic, said Jim Kennerly, an engineer for the

Georgia Department of Transportation.

The idea is that if the road

needs two more lanes in the future, the DOT could pave over the median

area instead of having to acquire more land.

The bridges have also been

"future-proofed" for the eventual widening to six lanes. The

current design on widening the bridges over the railroad tracks and Line

Creek would leave enough room to add two more lanes of traffic, Kennerly

added.

"If traffic continues

to grow at this rate," Kennerly said, the widening to six lanes would

almost be necessary. But the highway can't be widened to six lanes now

due to the air quality restrictions on metro Atlanta, he added.

The grassy median also adds

a safety element for motorists traveling on the road, Kennerly said.

The widening project also includes

curbs, gutters and sidewalks to the north and south of the highway, Kennerly

added. It also includes culverts under the highway at the railroad bridge

which will be used for the new "cloverleaf" cart path bridge

that will connect both sides of the highway to the rest of the city's

cart path system through The Avenue and Marketplace retail centers.

Preliminary engineering on

the project has been completed, and now right of way acquisition is underway,

Kennerly said. The DOT will have to acquire 50 parcels before it can advertise

for bids on the project.

The project is likely to be

complete in late 2004 or early 2005, Kennerly said.

Back

to News Home Page |