In 2007, Gresham Smith and the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) partnered to develop bridge replacement construction plans for State Route 10/US 78 bridge over the Apalachee River at the Walton and Oconee County line. One of the project’s key challenges was preserving the existing, historic 1938 bridge structure on SR 10/US 78, while building the new two-lane westbound overpass.

To achieve this, Gresham Smith’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) planner worked closely with GDOT and the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to identify the historical boundary, as well as permissible construction activities on the bridge itself and within close proximity to the existing structure. This partnership with GDOT and SHPO allowed us to successfully complete the vital NEPA environmental documentation leaving the historic bridge in place, and permitting construction to start on the replacement bridge in 2013.

The new westbound bridge was opened to traffic in 2014, and consists of a bridge span of 410 feet long and 40 feet wide, with the adjoining roadway comprising a typical section of two 12-foot travel lanes in the westbound direction and a 10-foot rural shoulder. Formerly used for westbound traffic, the preserved historic arch bridge is now closed to traffic, with the new two-lane bridge serving all vehicular traffic traveling west.

Per GDOT’s plan development process, Gresham Smith developed and completed: conceptual design; roadway design of the approaches to the bridge; bridge hydraulics; NEPA environmental documentation; utility coordination preliminary plans; right-of-way plans; and final plans.

Client

Georgia Department of Transportation

Location

Walton County, Georgia

Project Type

Transportation

Services

Engineering

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Kent Black, P.E.
Kent Black, P.E.
Executive Vice President, Transportation