Residents in Augusta, Georgia will see construction pick back up on the I-20 Bridge Project as crews continue to widen the structure that hangs over the Savannah River and Augusta Canal.
Construction to widen the structure began in late 2019. The second phase of the project, the westbound lanes, were completed several weeks ago.
This weekend, the third phase of the project will begin starting on Saturday. The plan is for workers to reroute traffic on I-20 Eastbound to the newly constructed middle lanes. Temporary exit ramps will be in place for Exit 1 and the South Carolina Welcome Center.
Despite traffic being inconvenient, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) says this is necessary.
“Those bridges had reached the end of their service life. I think it was mid to late 1960’s they were built. Design standards have changed. Traffic volumes have changed. The standard commercial vehicle has changed since then. So it’s going to accommodate those current and future traffic demands,” explained Kyle Collins, Communications & Marketing Strategist with GDOT.
After the rerouting is complete, crews will start tearing down the old bridges and building new ones.
According to Collins, adding those 2 additional lanes will make the bridge safer to travel.
“And also, much wider interior and exterior shoulders. That’s a big key if there is a crash in the area, we won’t have as much issues. Now if there is a minor fender bender, it locks up the entire side. So emergency personnel can work the scene and kinda get things on that wider shoulder to still let traffic flow, so that’s a big perk.”
Crews will begin rerouting traffic this Saturday night beginning around 8 P.M and will work overnight into Sunday morning.
Construction of the $73 million project is expected to wrap up at the end of 2023.
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Source: MSN.com
