and By JOHN

THOMPSON

[email protected]

The money is

there, the engineering is next for building a new east-west crossing over

Line Creek that will link Fayette and Coweta counties.

The TDK Boulevard

extension agreement, ratified by the Peachtree City Council last Thursday,

is seen as crucial to easing traffic congestion on Ga. Highway 54, particularly

since the Hwy. 54 widening project that begins this summer is slated to

last two years. But since engineering for the road is not yet complete,

construction of the TDK extension is not likely to begin anytime soon.

The TDK agreement,

also signed by the Fayette County Commission, calls for the county to

coordinate the project and for the city to kick in $200,000 toward the

final cost. If a grant becomes available from the Georgia Department of

Transportation, the county will get the funds since it is in charge of

constructing the road.

Peachtree City

Councilman Steve Rapson said that clause of the agreement concerned him,

but he felt it was important for the funds to be allocated and he would

sign off on the agreement in the spirit of cooperating with county officials.

Mayor Steve

Brown said he felt it was best to "lock in to a figure that we'd

need to be liable for" rather than hope for offsetting grant funds

from the state.

The city must

kick in $150,000 up front, with $120,000 coming from the council contingency

fund and the remainder from the contingency fund for the public improvement

plan. Another $50,000 will have to be budgeted for next year to complete

the city's obligations for the road.

The city is

also footing the bill for the engineering services for the road with the

goal of presenting the plan to the county "ready to bid" once

the engineering is complete.

The road will

pick up where it leaves off at the Fayette County Water Treatment Plant

in southwestern Peachtree City and eventually cross via a new bridge over

Line Creek. The new road, close to the planned Lake McIntosh dam, will

link up with McIntosh Trail in Coweta County.

County Commission

Chairman Greg Dunn said he was pleased to see the agreement finally approved.

Peachtree City

will now turn over all the preliminary engineering reports to the county,

and the county will coordinate efforts with Coweta County to get the road

and bridge built.