Motorists who normally use the 13th Street Bridge between Augusta and North Augusta may want to choose a different route on Monday, April 25.
The Georgia Department of Transportation said, weather permitting, it will begin the process of information gathering on the more than $56.6 million project.
The work planned for April 25 is the bridge foundation investigation. Test borings will be done to gather information about the structure’s foundation. It will necessitate four different, single-lane closures, one at a time, while the work is being done.
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Crews will be doing the work between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Two test borings will be done on both the Georgia and South Carolina sides. The consulting firm handing the process it will take three-to-six weekdays to complete.
The department wants to replace the bridge, originally a two-lane bridge built in 1939, because it is structurally deficient and does not meet current design standards. It was widened to the current four lanes in 1991.
The plan is to build the replacement in the current location of the bridge to minimize environmental concerns.
Artist’s renderings show the northbound and southbound sides separated by a raised median.
On one side there will be a shared use path for pedestrians and cyclists. The other side will have a sidewalk. The plan shows the stairs on the South Carolina side of the bridge.
In addition to the stairs, the design incorporates a tunnel underneath 13th Street to connect the Bartram Trail to the Augusta Canal Historic Trail.
GDOT created a website for the public to review the project https://bridge-replacement-0013927-gdot.hub.arcgis.com/. The website was also used to collect public input from July 1, 2021, through August 13, 2021.
More than 2,400 people viewed the website and 122 provided comments. The majority of respondents, 90 in total, supported the projects. Another 27 expressed conditional approval, three were opposed and two were uncommitted.
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Safety and crime were among the major concerns. One person recommended extensive lighting and emergency phones within the proposed tunnel. Other comments included a recommendation to remove the stairs on the South Carolina side.
GDOT said concerns about crime, along with the recommendation emergency phones be included, were provided to Augusta and North Augusta governments, as well as the law enforcement agencies.
All the written comments will be included as part of the project’s public record.
The project is currently scheduled to begin in early 2024.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a general assignment reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com
