New school traffic remains a dilemma for Peachtree City

Figuring out how to funnel a large amount of school traffic into a small area is an ongoing engineering problem for Peachtree City. The City Council on April 1 discussed options for improving sections along Ga. Hwy. 54, Carriage Lane, Robinson Road and Stagecoach Road, the latter of which is a private drive that remains narrow and unpaved but is the only direct access for the new middle school scheduled for completion later this year. The school will replace J.C. Booth Middle and serve Peachtree City residents, but was built on the property with no firm plans by the city or Fayette County Public Schools to significantly expand access for an influx of school buses, cars and golf carts.

City Engineer David Borkowski said only one of several recommendations from a county-sponsored traffic study has been implemented. To help reduce school traffic backing up onto Ga. Hwy. 54, the council voted 3-2 to designate Stagecoach Road as a right-in, right-out intersection and plans to install bollard devices to restrict turns.