The pedestrian/golf cart bridge over Ga. Highway 54 near Willowbend Road has been closed due to structural problems that were discovered earlier this month.

A citizen's complaint of movement on the bridge May 17 led to an inspection that day, said Peachtree City Engineer Troy Besseche. After the inspection, the bridge was closed for safety concerns, he added.

“We don't want to take any chances,” Besseche said.

The inspection revealed that the approach spans (the first parts of the bridge on either end) were sagging, Besseche said. That structure flaw is believed to have caused the vibrations.

People are advised to use an alternate route of a temporary cart path that runs parallel to Northlake Drive and Willowbend Road, but it requires pedestrians to cross two lanes of traffic at the Hwy. 54 traffic light.

The city may perform temporary repairs to shore up the problem so the bridge can be reopened. There is also a chance the Hwy. 54 intersection might be modified to accommodate the traffic from the cart paths, Besseche said.

“We realize this is an inconvenience for people to park at the signal,” Besseche said.

Two weeks ago, the city ordered the “parts” that need to be replaced on the bridge, which are the approach spans to the south and north ends of the bridge. The estimated cost of the new bridge spans is $85,000.

There are no structural problems with the steel center span, which hangs directly over the highway and was replaced in 1997, Besseche said. The original bridge was constructed in the 1970s and may not have been built with treated lumber, the engineer added.

The new approach spans will also be constructed of steel to match the sturdiness of the center steel span. They will differ, however, because they were not designed to have a covered roof like the one used for the center span of the bridge.

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