Construction Equipment Guide
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Thu September 28, 2023 - Southeast Edition #20
Construction of the Georgia Department of Transportation's (GDOT) $55 million SR 400 Bridge Replacements project — taking place in Fulton County — has begun and C.W. Matthews Contracting Co. Inc. is expected to deliver the three new bridges between April and June of 2024.
"The new bridges will provide operational and local road improvements in advance of the major express lanes construction," said Georgia DOT Design-Build Project Manager Rick O'Hara. "The department was pleased with the number of competitive bids received and looks forward to advancing this important project along a critical corridor in metro Atlanta with the selected design-build team."
The design-build project "was pulled forward as part of the phased delivery of the planned SR 400 Express Lanes," states the project web page.
The Pitts Road, Roberts Drive and Kimball Bridge Road bridges over SR 400, which are more than 50 years old and nearing their end of lives, are being replaced and widened to accommodate the future express lanes along SR 400, according to project details. The new bridges will be replaced with taller, wider structures which will feature multiuse paths and sidewalks.
The Pitts Road Bridge is being replaced and widened with a raised profile to allow for a 12-ft. multiuse path on the south side, a sidewalk on the north side, as well as interior barrier walls on both the north and south sides separating pedestrians from the two travel lanes. There is a local agreement with the city of Sandy Springs for bridge aesthetics.
The Roberts Drive Bridge will undergo a similar reconstruction, with an interior barrier wall on the south side separating pedestrians from the travel lanes.
The Kimball Road Bridge will be replaced with a raised profile, increased from two to four lanes with a median, a multiuse path on the north side and a sidewalk on the south side. There is a local agreement with the city of Alpharetta for bridge aesthetics.
The Roberts Drive bridge is under construction with the new structure being built alongside the existing structure, with completion expected on May 22, 2024.
This project is impacting traffic. The Kimball Bridge Road bridge was closed to traffic on May 8, 2023, and the Pitts Road bridge was closed to traffic on June 12, 2023. Detours have been established until the bridges re-open in late April of next year. CEG
A journalist who started his career at a weekly community newspaper, Irwin Rapoport has written about construction and architecture for more than 15 years, as well as a variety of other subjects, such as recycling, environmental issues, business supply chains, property development, pulp and paper, agriculture, solar power and energy, and education. Getting the story right and illustrating the hard work and professionalism that goes into completing road, bridge, and building projects is important to him. A key element of his construction articles is to provide readers with an opportunity to see how general contractors and departments of transportation complete their projects and address challenges so that lessons learned can be shared with a wider audience.
Rapoport has a BA in History and a Minor in Political Science from Concordia University. His hobbies include hiking, birding, cycling, reading, going to concerts and plays, hanging out with friends and family, and architecture. He is keen to one day write an MA thesis on military and economic planning by the Great Powers prior to the start of the First World War.