The Georgia Department of Transportation announced on Mar. 23 that emergency repairs will begin this week on the State Route 90 Little Brushy Creek bridge in Irwin County, which was recently damaged by a vehicle.
The repair work is important because the closure affects truck traffic and local farmers who rely on the route. The department has issued an emergency purchase order of about $75,000 to ensure the bridge is repaired and reopened quickly.
Southern Concrete Construction Co. Inc. is scheduled to start work by Tuesday, March 24, according to Georgia DOT Southwest District Maintenance Manager Cliff Webb. Webb said repair should not take more than four or five days.
“We don’t like to have any state routes closed for any reason. There’s a lot of truck traffic on this route and a lot of farmers use it,” Webb said.
The bridge was closed on March 18 after a tractor struck its handrail and deck curb/catwalk. It is located about four miles southeast of Ocilla, with traffic currently detoured via State Routes 11 and 158.
Webb also said that some motorists have been driving around barricades at the site despite safety concerns. He cautioned that a GDOT inspection team found the structure unsafe for travel and asked drivers to follow posted detours while heavy equipment is present during repairs.
