ATLANTA — After a mid-December fire shut down a portion of Cheshire Bridge Road and a bridge in Atlanta, officials have released information about what comes next in terms of repairing or rebuilding the damaged structure.
Atlanta City Council Member Alex Wan released a statement saying that review of the bridge and the damage showed that rather than having to fully rebuild or replace the bridge, it is repairable.
“The good news is that it appears that the bridge can be repaired by shoring up the existing supports and replacing a portion of the bridge versus having to demolish and completely rebuild the entire structure,” Wan said in a statement.
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However, the repair time is expected to take about 10 weeks.
In the meantime, the bridge itself will remain closed to traffic. Wan said the 10-week repair effort “would result in the entire roadway being opened to traffic with no near-term need to replace the existing bridge.”
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Ahead of the rebuild, Atlanta work crews were onsite at the bridge to remove items from homeless encampments there and at other nearby overpasses, part of the plan involves working to further strengthen safety needs at these locations.
“I have discussed directly with the Mayor about a developing and executing strategy to secure these critical infrastructure assets going forward. This is going to take a sustained, concerted effort with our state partners, which will begin in earnest in January. Partners for HOME is also engaged to support the individuals in the area,” Wan said.
Wan said ATLDOT will “remain vigilant” during the construction process to address potential delays.
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