Forrest Street Bridge to open at 2 p.m. today
Published 12:00 pm Thursday, May 7, 2020
- Workers spread riprap, a kind of loose stone, along a newly installed bridge on Forrest Street in Athens. It is part of a $4-million project to replace two bridges over Swan Creek, to resurface Forrest from U.S. 31 to Lindsay Lane, and to expand sidewalks to connect to the Swan Creek Greenway, a National Recreation Trail that runs under Forrest Street.
Drivers won’t have to detour around the Forrest Street bridge after 2 p.m. today.
Officials said the bridge will reopen to motorists after a short bridge dedication.
The bridge is part of a $4-million project that included replacing the two Forrest Street bridges over Swan Creek east of U.S. 31, resurfacing Forrest Street from U.S. 31 to Lindsay Lane, and expanding the sidewalks to connect to the Swan Creek Greenway, a National Recreation Trail that runs under Forrest Street.
The bridges were replaced by Miller and Miller and inspected by the Alabama Department of Transportation.
Old
The bridges over Swan Creek had exceeded their life expectancy. In addition to being nearly twice as wide and long, the new bridges include bridge parapets, or safety barriers, and a pedestrian lane so residents can walk to the greenway. (The old bridges were 20 feet wide and 100 feet long, while the new bridges are about 40 feet wide and 180 feet long.)
Forrest Street east of U.S. 31 was first closed to traffic March 4, 2019, and motorists were detoured to U.S. 72 and Alabama 251 in the interim.
Cost
The Forrest Street bridge project covers 1.26 miles. First suggested in 2013, it was funded under the Alabama Transportation Rehabilitation and Improvement Program. The city’s contract with ALDOT calls for a $4,014,444 project, with ATRIP providing $2,558,081.
