The Georgia DOT (GDOT) recently announced that the local bridge bundle replacements funded in FY 2016 are now complete and open to traffic.
The bridge bundles are state-funded bridge replacement projects that replaced and updated 24 structurally deficient bridges on off-system roads—city or county routes that are not part of the state system—in 24 Georgia counties. Construction for the first bridge began in April 2017, and construction of the final bridge was completed in June 2019.
The FY16 local bridge replacements represent an investment of $39.6 million and are part of GDOT's Design-Build (DB) Bridge Replacement Program. They were delivered through five contracts with three contractors. The program, funded as a result of the Transportation Funding Act of 2015, utilizes bundles to maximize efficiency and speed in the replacement of the locally owned infrastructure. Similar local bridge replacements from fiscal years 2017 and 2018 are currently in the works.
“The design-build program helps expedite the completion process whereas replacing a large quantity of bridges in such a short timeframe would have been practically impossible using traditional delivery methods and costs would have been more," DB Program Manager Andrew Hoenig, P.E., said in a news release.
The bridge bundles used design-build contracts—each in geographic groups of four to six bridge replacements—which allowed each contractor to efficiently streamline delivery by combining design and construction activities for the bridges in their bundled contract. This concept is especially suitable in rural areas due to lower impacts to the traveling public.
By replacing old bridges, some of which were closed or had weight restrictions, the new bridges enhance safety and quality of life for residents, and enrich communities economically.Reduced construction time meant less impact on travel and minimized public inconvenience.
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SOURCE: Georgia DOT
