The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) instituted the first of five planned bridge closures this week over a stretch of the I-85 corridor, with the intent of fully replacing, widening, and adding shoulders to them.
It is the first step in a $16.6 million project intended to fix critical infrastructure junctures that have been in use for more than 55 years. Plainview Road bridge in Jackson County began construction last week. Franklin County will see the Neal Road bridge closed on July 16, the bridges at Old Stagecoach Road and Brown Road in early 2019, and the Cedar Ridge Road bridge in mid 2019. Each bridge will be shut off to traffic for up to 180 days.
“The structure and reliability will be enhanced on these bridges as a result of this project,” said Andrew Hoenig, Georgia DOT’s I-85 Corridor Bridges project manager, said. “The replacements will also provide greater public safety, improve mobility to the bridges, and allow for the future widening of I-85.”
Each bridge is being reconstructed along the design-build methodology of construction, which combines services like processing of permits with construction services under a single contract. In theory, it allows for reduction of costs and expedited delivery schedules. In all cases, Georgia Bridge and Concrete, LLC is handling the construction, with work expected to be finished by spring 2020.
Through the design-build program, Georgia DOT is replacing more than 50 bridges across the state within the next five years.