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

in-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 another two 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.

The 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.

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