The first of five bridges over I-85 in northeast Georgia closed this week in Jackson County as part of a $16.6 million project.
The I-85 Corridor Bridges project will fully replace bridges in service for over 55 years and enhance safety by increasing lane width and adding shoulders to travel lanes. These replacements are part of a larger Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) effort to improve bridge infrastructure statewide.
Construction began Monday with the Plainview Road bridge closure in Jackson County. The Neal Road bridge in Franklin County is scheduled to close on July 16. The bridges at Old Stagecoach Road and Brown Road, in Franklin County, will be closed in early 2019, followed by the Cedar Ridge Road bridge in mid-2019. Once closed, 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 GDOT’s I-85 Corridor Bridges Project Manager Andrew Hoenig, P.E., in a release. “The replacements will also provide greater public safety, improve mobility to the bridges, and allow for the future widening of I-85.”
These projects are being executed through design-build (DB) methodology. Benefits of this model include combining pre-construction related services, such as processing permits and design, with construction services into one contract. Additionally, DB allows the contractor to participate in the project’s design in an effort to reduce costs, improve communication, and expedite project delivery. The contract was awarded to Georgia Bridge and Concrete LLC of Tucker last year. The project will utilize both state and federal funds and is scheduled to be completed by spring 2020.
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Source: Georgia DOT
