When will delayed Reese Road bridge open? What to know about $2.4 million project
It’s expected to reopen one month later than originally scheduled, forcing thousands of motorists to continue their detours, but a rebuilt bridge along a major route in east Columbus is nearly complete.
The Reese Road bridge is on track to reopen Sept. 3, Columbus Consolidated Government director of inspections and code enforcement Ryan Pruett told the Ledger-Enquirer.
Multiple factors caused the one-month delay in the reopening date, Pruett said:
During the site’s excavation, rock was found at a higher elevation than planned.
“This caused additional time to be able to remove the rock in order to place the foundations at the proper elevation,” Pruett said in an email.
The project’s scope was widened to move water and sewer lines. This called for additional valves and sewer laterals that “were not in the original contract,” he said.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused shortages in materials and manpower, Pruett said.
Cost of the project
The total cost of the project is budgeted at $2.4 million, comprising:
- $2,252,061 for the construction contract with Southeastern Site Development of Newnan.
- $119,273 for the design contract with Heath & Lineback Engineers of Marietta.
- $51,977 for right-of-way acquisition.
The city is paying for the project with the following revenue:
- $1,680,000 from the Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax.
- $743,312 from the Paving Fund.
The delayed reopening might make the project less expensive for the city.
“The city’s standard construction contract contains a provision to charge $500 per day in liquidated damages if the project is not completed on time,” Pruett said. “Once the project is complete, the city will determine what the damages are and reduce the contract amount accordingly.”
Regardless, Pruett called the quality of the new bridge “excellent.”
“The construction has been inspected at every step by the contractor’s internal quality control team, city staff and third-party firms to assure that the project is constructed in accordance with all plans and specifications,” he said.
Reese Road connects Macon Road to Manchester Expressway. An average of 4,450 vehicles crossed the bridge per day in 2019, according to city data.
“The city understands that the closure is an inconvenience and does add time to people’s commutes,” Pruett said. “The city is working with the contractor to complete the bridge as quickly as possible in order to eliminate that inconvenience.”
How new Reese Road bridge will be different
The new bridge will be more than double the width of the former bridge, going from 21 feet wide from barrier to barrier to nearly 50 feet wide and allowing more room for pedestrians to safely cross.
The narrowness of the bridge didn’t provide much room for error when vehicles crossed at the same time in opposite directions on the two-lane road. And the approach on the east side of the bridge didn’t have any shoulder or barrier preventing an inattentive driver from falling down the steep gully.
The shoulders will be widened, and guardrails will be installed at all four corners of the bridge in accordance with Georgia Department of Transportation standards. Sidewalks will be upgraded and added.
Visibility will be improved by adding new striping and signage and eliminating some trees. Reflectors also will be placed on the new bridge.
The length of the bridge will increase from 80 feet to 96 feet.
When the project started in October, Columbus Councilor Jerry “Pops” Barnes described the bridge as “a serious and fatal accident waiting to happen.”
Reaction to project’s delay
The project required closing a 400-foot section of Reese Road, from just west of Guinevere Avenue to just east of Bonnie Drive, blocking those intersections. Guinevere Avenue still has been accessible from King Arthur Place, and Bonnie Drive still has been accessible from Carlene Drive.
Signs guide motorists on a detour of approximately 2 miles. But many motorists have been taking shortcuts through adjacent subdivisions instead.
Linwood Spires, a four-decade resident of the area, estimated the bridge closure has added about 10 minutes to his driving time from and to his home this past year. But he figures the delayed reopening of the bridge is worth the wait, considering its improved safety for motorists and pedestrians.
“It was in definite need of repair,” Spires, retired from TSYS as an associate director, told the Ledger-Enquirer. “No doubt about it. I mean, you could see chunks of the concrete missing from people that hit it because it was so narrow. Especially with trucks coming down of any size, it was just risky. … So I think it’s going to be an overall enhancement.”
This story was originally published August 23, 2021 at 2:53 PM.
