ATLANTA — Roughly three months after a natural gas fire left the bridge over South Fork Peachtree Creek on Cheshire Bridge road heavily damaged, Atlanta’s Department of Transportation will begin the task of tearing it down.
It took every bit of those 90 days to relocated a myriad of utilities surrounding the bridge, clearing the way for the demolition and eventual replacement of the bridge to begin.
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The closure has heavily impacted businesses on both sides of the creek and heavily impacted traffic on one of Atlanta’s busier roads.
“We are grateful for the patience and continued support of the local community in the face of the tremendous inconvenience caused by the Cheshire Bridge closure,” said ATLDOT Commissioner Josh Rowan. “Issues encountered during the utility relocation process have delayed the start of demolition, but work should progress well from this point.”
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ATLDOT said final preparations for the work should be finished sometime on Sunday. Workers will need to remove the bridge’s sidewalk and some overhangs while doing investigative demolition work.
Officials said the plan is for major demolition to begin sometime later in the coming week.
The city said its contractor has agreed to a seven day a week, 24-hour-a-day schedule to finish the project as quickly as possible. They will then select another contractor with plans to begin building a new bridge on the same spot beginning early in 2022.
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“We are currently preparing a bid package for design and construction and expect to have a contractor on board soon after demolition is complete,” Rowan said. “We remain committed to getting the bridge demolished and replaced as safely and quickly as possible.”
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