The Satilla River bridge project at the Pierce-Ware County line is half-way complete and ahead of schedule according to the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and the contractor, Scott Bridge Company of Opelika, AL.
“The project was at 51 percent completion as of July 31 and it is ahead of schedule,” said Jill Nagel, public communications officer for GDOT.
The project is nearing completion of the first stage with all 10 deck spans of the overflow bridge complete and 10 of 14 deck spans of the river bridge complete.
It is estimated work will begin on the second phase later this year. Traffic is tentatively scheduled to shift to the new bridge in November, 2025. Work will then begin on the opposite two lanes of the span.
“We continue to ask everyone to be patient and drive with caution. Worker and driver safety is our top priority,” said Nagel.
The $44.9 million replacement project is a GDOT project, but about $3 million of the total cost will come from the Transportation Investment Act regional sales tax approved by voters in 2018.
The original bridge was first constructed in 1923 but the span was overhauled and widened in 1982 when U.S. Highway 84 was four-laned. A top-stone American Legion memorial at the crown of the bridge pays homage to local war dead from World War I in 1917-1918.
The replacement project is expected to take four years. Since U.S. 84 is a major east-west traffic artery, GDOT did a two-phase replacement to keep the bridge open during construction.
