Powder Springs to build Silver Comet Trail bridge

Bicyclists and walkers on the Silver Comet Trail, an abandoned railway turned linear park, will soon find their trips a little safer.

Powder Springs plans to build a 150-foot bridge over Old Lost Mountain Road to connect the two sides of the trail.

Trail users now have to cross the two-lane road at a signalized crosswalk at the Richard D. Sailors Parkway intersection. Traffic can be heavy because the parkway is a major artery for south Cobb commuters.

Mark Mitchell, 50, of Smyrna said the crossing can be dicey because westbound drivers on the parkway turn left when bicyclists have the light.

"You have to be careful," he said. "That will make it a lot safer."

Eric Mortensson, who works at the Silver Comet Depot bike shop and has ridden the trail more than 100 times, said the bridge is an "awesome" idea because some bike riders have trouble slowing down when they approach the crossing.

“From both directions, you’re coming down a big hill, and if the light changes, you have come to a stop,” he said. “I definitely think it’s a good idea to have a bridge there."

The prefabricated, 10-ton bridge will have a metal framework and a concrete deck. Buddy Allison, assistant program manager for Croy Engineering of Marietta, said the project should be finished about six months after the city awards the construction bid. The city is in the process of reviewing bids.

Powder Springs will pay for the project with $467,390 in SPLOST money.

The Silver Comet Trail is a 12-foot-wide former railroad bed that begins at South Cobb Drive and the East-West Connector in Smyrna. It stretches about 61 miles to the Alabama state line, where it connects with the Chief Ladiga Trail. The combined trails are 95 miles long, from Smyrna to Anniston.