Q: Work on the SR 20 bridge across the Chattahoochee River has stopped. Why? When will work resume? When is project due to be complete?
—Karl Vollberg, Buford
A: Construction was scheduled to restart on Thursday after being delayed since late September because of a permit that was modified as a result of a change in the construction process from using barges as a work platform to stone jetties.
“Because of the daily water releases from the Buford Dam, barges can’t be used,” Brent Cook, the Georgia DOT district engineer serving Northeast Georgia, said in a release. “The water levels change too quickly and too frequently. … The change to jetties has required complex interagency coordination between GDOT, (the) National Park Service, Federal Highway Administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.”
Work on the bridge will continue until April, when it will shut down until Oct. 31 because no work is allowed in a National Park Service recreation area during that time. “Only one jetty will be in place at a time,” Cook said. “The jetty will be removed during peak recreation season because jetties change the water flow.” The 1.07-mile project from James Burgess Road in Forsyth County to Burnette Trail in Gwinnett County will include a four-lane divided highway with sidewalks and new bridges over the Chattahoochee River. The project, which is behind schedule, will cost $10.2 million and is scheduled to be finished May 31, 2016.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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