Cart path bridge repairs delayed until December?

City cites delay in span delivery

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

Repairs to the pedestrian/golf cart bridge over Ga. Highway 54 near Willowbend Road are being delayed, creating the possibility the work won't be done until late this year.

The bridge has been closed to golf cart traffic since May after problems were found with the bridge's approach spans. Pedestrians and bike riders can still use the bridge, however.

The city received a complaint May 17 that there was vibration occurring on the bridge. After an inspection revealed the approach spans were sagging, the bridge was closed to traffic.

Golf cart traffic has been rerouted to a temporary cart path that takes travelers across Hwy. 54 at Northlake Drive and Willowbend Road. A signal activation button has been placed there to insure that golf cart drivers receive a green signal to cross when vehicle traffic wouldn't normally trip a light.

The city has ordered steel spans to replace the current wooden ones in the hopes they will last much longer. But delivery of the spans from Steadfast Bridges of Ft. Payne, Ala. isn't expected until October at the earliest, said city engineer Troy Besseche.

"Then, with four or five weeks for a construction period, we could be pushing December," Besseche said.

The city had planned for the bridge to be open by now to the golf cart traffic, Besseche noted.

The company has experienced production delays and got a large number of orders over the summer, Besseche said. The city is paying about $82,000 for the three spans, and construction will cost an additional $88,000.

Meanwhile, the city is designing another golf cart bridge to cross Flat Creek just south of Crosstown Drive, Besseche said. Eventually, that bridge will connect with cart paths that will lead to the southern end of the city's industrial park, he added.

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