A major project to replace the Courtland Street Bridge is requiring detours in downtown Atlanta.
The 111-year-old bridge is being replaced between Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Gilmer Street near Georgia State University and the Georgia Capitol. It's expected to be closed from May 7 into October.
The project will replace all 28 spans of the bridge over MARTA and CSX rail lines and Decatur Street, affecting streets and parking lot entrances to GSU's campus. Two detour options will exist for motorists, one of which includes a specific detour for buses.
Cars and buses may follow Edgewood Avenue, Pryor Street and Mitchell Street for almost a mile. Cars only may follow Gilmer Street, Jesse Hill Jr. Drive and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive for 0.7 mile.
Signs will guide pedestrians around the closure.
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The reconstructed bridge will be safer for handling increased traffic volumes and heavier vehicles, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation’s website. It will also include expanded sidewalks and a 12-foot lane so buses can better accommodate passengers.
State transportation officials have said that Georgia bridges built on an accelerated timeline are safe, despite concerns that have been raised about the deadly collapse of a Florida pedestrian bridge built with similar methods in March.
C.W. Matthews, the construction company that rebuilt a 700-foot span of the I-85 bridge in six weeks using accelerated construction techniques, won the bid for the Courtland project. GDOT said "design-build innovation" was used to reduce the duration of the Courtland bridge closure from two years to 180 days.
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