Georgia: No compromise on bridge safety

The phrase “You can’t get there from here” was driven home for some North Georgians when two bridges — one in Catoosa County, one in Chattooga County — were ordered closed.

Barricades were installed at the bridge approaches on Alexander Bridge Road at Chickamauga Creek and Lyerly Dam Road at the Chattooga River after those spans failed inspections.

“We do not compromise on safety issues,” said Mohamed Arafa, regional spokesman for the Georgia Department of Transportation. “If a bridge is deemed unsafe, it is the owner’s responsibility to either repair or replace it.”

Closure notifications resulted from age and years of neglect.

Detours are an inconvenience — these bridges are used by residents, school buses and emergency vehicles — and their repair or replacement is costly, Dr. Arafa said. But disregarding a closure notice makes local government liable if the structures collapse, he said.

Of about 600 bridges in Northwest Georgia, these two are the only ones closed and considered unsafe, Dr. Arafa said.

The U.S. Department of Transportation mandates state inspection of bridge superstructures every other year and annually if serious structural problems are noted. The substructure, the part below water, must be inspected every five years.

An engineering study of the Alexander Road Bridge in the Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Military Park offered options to replace, rehabilitate or permanently close the bridge. The bridge will remain “temporarily closed” until its fate is decided.

The 50-year-old Lyerly Dam bridge was closed because of rusted gussets — steel plates that link beams — and overall corrosive decay. Inspectors said the bridge should be replaced or extensively repaired.

The state categorizes bridges that are unsafe, functionally obsolete or structurally deficient.

Functionally obsolete bridges do not meet current standards but were fine when first opened and are still “in good shape,” Dr. Arafa said. Structurally deficient bridges are unable to carry current load standards and must be posted with weight limit signs, he said.

“Neither structurally deficient nor obsolete bridges should be considered as unsafe,” Dr. Arafa said.

Chattooga County Sole Commissioner Jason Winters said the Lyerly Dam bridge closure occurred the week he was sworn into office.

“Previously, the only work was done when we had problems,” Mr. Winters said, referring to the county’s 86 bridges. “We want to make certain every bridge is maintained every year so no more deteriorate to the point they must be closed.”

The closure means detours of either 12 miles or 14 miles. It’s faster for firefighters to come from Summerville to fight fires in parts of Lyerly, he said.

Mr. Winters said an engineering report due this week should detail what must be done, how long it will take and how much it will cost to fix the Lyerly Dam bridge.

“We do not have the money to replace the bridge now or in the near future,” he said. “But this is an emergency.”

In Catoosa County, the Peavine Creek bridge will be closed this week while crews replace a structural steel beam beneath the bridge, said Public Works operations manager Carolyn Teems.