The replacement Mason Creek Road bridge over Mobley Creek recently was opened by the contractor and Georgia Department of Transportation, allowing traffic to flow the full length of Mason Creek Road for the first time since the devastating September 2009 floods that destroyed the bridge, a Douglas County release stated.

The replacement bridge project also included a much-needed realignment of the neighboring intersection of Mason Creek Road / Cowan Mill Road that corrected a sight distance problem and added a turn lane on Mason Creek Road for left-turning traffic onto Cowan Mill Road.

The total project cost was $1,116,263 and was paid by the rransportation department using state and federal emergency management agency disaster funds at the request of Douglas County.

The Notice to Proceed for the project was issued March 3, 2011, after its design was completed and additional rights-of-way procured. The project construction start was later than local officials desired, but the later start date allowed 100 percent state and federal funding which, in turn, allowed Douglas County to use its funds to repair some of the other 160-plus roads and culverts that were damaged in the floods.

Environmental concerns about the endangered highscale shiner species of fish and nesting sites of barn swallows slightly affected the old bridge frame removal process, but all proceeded on schedule and the project was completed on budget and ahead of the contract schedule.

The project contractor was Sunbelt Structures Inc. of Tucker. Local project coordination was performed by the Douglas County Department of Transportation staff.

The new concrete bridge is 40 feet wide and 85 feet in

length, and is about four feet higher and much more substantial than the original structure which dated back to 1936. The old bridge already was slated for replacement by the county when the September 2009 floods destroyed the structure. The original structure was 25 feet wide and 40 feet long.

Douglas County Commission Chairman Tom Worthan praised the opening of the bridge, saying its opening is “a welcome and happy ending to a long story that affected so many of our residents.”

The opening of the replacement Mason Creek Road bridge represents the last major construction project resulting from the floods, and the Douglas County Board of Commissioners will hold a small dedication program at the bridge within the next few weeks.