When TDK Boulevard is extended

from Peachtree City into Coweta County, motorists will be under the path

of aircraft departing Falcon Field and potentially in the path of errant

golf balls from the fifth hole of the Planterra Ridge golf course.

But there's nowhere else the

road can be relocated to avoid either situation.

The two-lane road currently

ends at the entrance to the Fayette County Water Treatment Plant. Once

TDK Blvd. is extended, it will continue west along a narrow strip that

weaves between Falcon Field and the golf course.

The fifth hole of Planterra

is oriented almost parallel to the road and there's little room for a

buffer because of the proximity of Falcon Field to the south.

City Engineer Troy Besseche

said the city will likely wait until after the road is open to see if

mis-hit golf balls become a problem. One possible solution would be to

erect a fence, he said.

Most of the engineering work

is done, but the city is waiting to hear from state dam officials to determine

if culverts need to be run under a section of the road that will serve

as a spillway for the planned Lake McIntosh reservoir.

If that's the case, it could

add to the construction time for the project, which could reach as high

as $4 million if the culverts are required, Besseche added. Without the

culverts it will take between 12 to 18 months to build the road, 0.72

miles of which is on the Peachtree City side and 1.66 miles of which is

across the creek in the jurisdiction of Coweta County.

The current plans for the road

include room for two four-foot bike lanes on either side of the road that

will be striped to distinguish them from the automobile traffic, Besseche

said. A 427-foot bridge will be built to traverse Line Creek, which is

approximately 150 feet wide in that location, he noted.

The road extension will not

go over the top of the dam for Lake McIntosh which was previously considered

as an alternative, Besseche said. Instead, a bridge further south of Line

Creek will be built to reach Coweta County.

The project has been in the

engineering stage since fall of 1999. Local business and industry leaders

are supporting the extension of the road into Coweta County to provide

an alternate route for employees entering the city's industrial park.

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