Public Meeting on Banks County Bridge Replacement Set for December

People living in Banks County near the Grove River Bridge on SR59 will want to attend a special public information open house next month. 

The open house is scheduled for Thursday, December 5, 2013 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Banks County Courthouse Annex located at 150 Hudson Street in Homer. 

Georgia DOT engineers will be available to discuss the proposed project and detour details.

The Georgia Department of Transportation is planning to replace the bridge, according to G-DOT spokesperson Teri Pope.

“The bridge was built in 1938 and does not meet current design standards,” Pope said. “It’s a very narrow bridge and if a motorist were to get a flat tire or stall out on that bridge, there’s no shoulder and nowhere for them to go to get out of the way of oncoming traffic.” 

After the meeting, citizens will be able to view the displays of the project at the Georgia DOT District Office located at 2505 Athens Highway in Gainesville. 

The new bridge will be 280 feet long and 40 feet wide featuring 12-foot wide lanes and 8-foot wide shoulders.  While construction is going on, however, Pope said the bridge will be closed for demolition and traffic will be rerouted.

Traffic will be routed from SR 59 to SR 15/US 441 to I-85 to SR 63 and back to SR 59. 

 “To replace the bridge we will completely close the bridge at the Grove River,” Pope said. “It’s going to save us some $800,000 to do it that way.” 

Pope said a construction date has not been set.  The plans will also be available online at the DOT website at www.dot.ga.gov.