Bridge to be down to one lane on Winder Highway
The Georgia Department of Transportation has announced that a bridge on S.R. 11/Winder Highway over the Middle Oconee River in Jefferson will be reduced to one lane from Monday, April 9, until Monday, April 30, for construction.
The bridge is located by a wastewater treatment plant operated by the Jackson County Water and Sewerage Authority, near River Walk Lane. It is also near Jackson County Comprehensive High School.
A temporary traffic signal will be installed and flash yellow to caution motorists using the bridge. Signs will also be posted notifying the community of the upcoming work.
“The temporary signal will operate almost as a person flagging traffic around the clock until the work is completed,” said DOT district engineer Bayne Smith. “Only one direction of traffic can cross the bridge at a time. When the signal is green, that direction of traffic can cross the bridge, opposing traffic will be held stopped by the signal’s red ball. Just do what the signal directs you to do and give yourself extra time to reach your destination.”
The existing concrete driving surface or bridge deck will be removed by hydro-blasting then a new concrete driving surface will be poured. The contractor will work around the clock on the project in one lane at a time. As one lane is finished, traffic will be shifted to use that lane while work occurs in the other lane.
The contract mandates the bridge must have both lanes reopened for use 21 days after one lane is closed. The work will conclude by April 30 at the latest.
“We can keep the bridge open to traffic by having the traffic signal direct traffic across the bridge,” Smith said. “The capacity of Winder Highway will be reduced to one lane at the bridge so there will be delays in the area. Please slow down in the area and use additional caution as the work occurs. Thank you for your patience and understanding. We will conclude the work and open both lanes of the bridge as quickly as possible.”
This bridge is one of three included in a $1.9 contract awarded to Comanche Construction of Marietta. The State Route 53 bridge over Amicalola Creek in Dawson County and SR 246 bridge over the Little Tennessee River in Rabun County are also a part of this contract. The contract completion date for all three bridges is Sept. 30, 2012.
A temporary traffic signal will be installed and flash yellow to caution motorists using the bridge. Signs will also be posted notifying the community of the upcoming work.
“The temporary signal will operate almost as a person flagging traffic around the clock until the work is completed,” said DOT district engineer Bayne Smith. “Only one direction of traffic can cross the bridge at a time. When the signal is green, that direction of traffic can cross the bridge, opposing traffic will be held stopped by the signal’s red ball. Just do what the signal directs you to do and give yourself extra time to reach your destination.”
The existing concrete driving surface or bridge deck will be removed by hydro-blasting then a new concrete driving surface will be poured. The contractor will work around the clock on the project in one lane at a time. As one lane is finished, traffic will be shifted to use that lane while work occurs in the other lane.
The contract mandates the bridge must have both lanes reopened for use 21 days after one lane is closed. The work will conclude by April 30 at the latest.
“We can keep the bridge open to traffic by having the traffic signal direct traffic across the bridge,” Smith said. “The capacity of Winder Highway will be reduced to one lane at the bridge so there will be delays in the area. Please slow down in the area and use additional caution as the work occurs. Thank you for your patience and understanding. We will conclude the work and open both lanes of the bridge as quickly as possible.”
This bridge is one of three included in a $1.9 contract awarded to Comanche Construction of Marietta. The State Route 53 bridge over Amicalola Creek in Dawson County and SR 246 bridge over the Little Tennessee River in Rabun County are also a part of this contract. The contract completion date for all three bridges is Sept. 30, 2012.
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#1
raleturn
on
04/05/12 at 01:48 PM
[Reply]
What genious came up with the idea that this is the best time of the year to do this with school in session? For those of you not in the know JCCH is near the bridge, and any student who lives on the other side of it that even goes to Jefferson City school has to traverse the gautlet.
#2
tax,tax,tax
on
04/05/12 at 03:32 PM
[Reply]
you would think that even the morons at GDOT would wait until school was out to do this work. what a huge pain in the rear this will be during school rush.
#3
rally
on
04/06/12 at 10:41 PM
[Reply]
what bothers the heck out of me is all this construction in the backwoods that does not warrant it in Jefferson and Winder. Commanche Marietta would do us all a favor and begin real work on trying to come up with a solution for creating less headaches on 85 and 285. No....we have to worry about a bridge that has been standing for as long as I have lived here. LOL
#3.1
Boss Hogg
on
04/09/12 at 09:10 PM
[Reply]
Yeah, having sound infrastructure on a state route really sucks.