TREUTLEN COUNTY, Ga. — Drivers can now travel over he new state Route 86 bridge over Interstate 16 in Treutlen County.
In a press release Friday by the Georgia Department of Transportation, the bridge was officially announced open and ready for traffic.
Between I-16 mile markers 76 and 77, the overpass was closed July 15, 2021 after it was struck by the improperly raised bed of a dump truck traveling westbound along the interstate.
The bridge was shifted 6 feet, and was deemed irreparable.
That stretch of I-16 had to be closed in both directions as well while crews worked to tear down the damaged structure.
Less than three months after the crash, GDOT held a special letting to reconstruct the SR 86 overpass.
The contract to build 0.393 miles of a new bridge and approaches was awarded to Georgia Bridge and Concrete, LLC at $3.5 million.
Work began in January 2022, and while a few finishing items remain on the project, traffic may continue to cross while those are being finished.
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