The Cumberland Community Impovement District approved $5 million toward construction of a bridge over I-285 to the Braves new stadium SunTrust Park. Here’s a look at the history of the bridge project.
Bridge timeline:
November 2013: Cobb Commission Chairman Tim Lee announces in the Marietta newspaper the plan to build a bridge over I-285, connecting the new stadium with the county's convention and performing arts centers. The announcement comes one day after the Braves announce their intent to move to Cobb County. Lee incorrectly tells the newspaper that the bridge is part of the stadium construction budget and won't be an extra expense.
May 2014: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the bridge's future is in doubt after the cost estimate rose to $9 million, from $3.5 million. "I don't think anything about the bridge is certain at this point," Cobb transportation director Faye DiMassimo tells the newspaper.
July 2014: In front of a throng of reporters, Lee again says that bridge construction will not require any local tax dollars.
November 2014: The AJC reviews hundreds of pages of documents obtained through the state's open records law, which show county taxpayers would fund at least half of bridge construction costs, and that to save money the bridge would no longer carry a transit vehicle.
January 2015: The county issues a request for proposal for bridge design that asks for a double-deck bridge that could carry the transit vehicle on the bottom span and pedestrians on the top. The county offered a 2-percent bonus if the engineering firm finished its work in time for construction bids to be opened by October. The plan is to have the bridge ready by March 2017. County officials say the budget is still $9 million.
May 2015: The AJC reports that right-of-way costs will add an estimated $2 million to the cost of the bridge, and that the nearly $1 million for design and engineering is also not included in the county's construction estimate. Bridge engineers not associated with the project say construction alone could easily top $12 million.
July 2015: Commissioners approve a preliminary design for the bridge that is a single span and will carry both pedestrians and transit vehicles.
July 2015: The AJC is the first to report that engineers say bridge construction can not be completed until September 2017, or the last month of the Braves inaugural season in SunTrust Park. The newspaper also reports that a parking deck near the convention center will have to be reinforced for transit vehicles to access the bridge. The cost for the parking deck reinforcement is unclear.
July 2015: Some Cobb Galleria Authority members, which oversee the county's convention and performing arts centers and must approve bridge construction, express concern at the impact of the bridge on their businesses.
September 2015: The Georgia Department of Transportation declines to provide any financing for the bridge. The document shows the bridge reinforcement would cost an estimated $3.5 million, which also was not included in the county's $9 million cost estimate.
September 2015: Lee announces that the bridge will not be open for any part of the Braves first season in SunTrust Park, but vows that it will be built.
October 2015: The AJC obtains the first detailed budget for the bridge project. It shows the I-285 span costing $9 million and a second span, over Circle 75 Parkway to SunTrust Park for pedestrians only, costing an additional $2.2 million. There was no estimate for purchase of right-of-way.
December 2015: The first hint that the bridge project may be back on track: Derek Schiller, the Braves executive vice president of sales and marketing, tells a business group that the team is "optimistic" that the bridge will be complete in time for the Braves first pitch in the new ballpark.
Thursday: The Cumberland CID approves providing $5 million for bridge construction at a special meeting. Members say the infusion of cash could help the project be completed by April 2017.
More information on the bridge and the funding agreement approved Thursday is available here.
About the Author
