Traffic Shift Planned For GA-20 In Bartow County

CARTERSVILLE, GA -- A traffic shift will take place Thursday on Highway 20 at the bridge over the Etowah River in Cartersville.

That's according to the Georgia Department of Transportation, which said the eastbound lanes of the highway will be closed Jan. 12 and traffic will be funneled onto one of the westbound lanes to allow for work on replacing the bridge deck.

Work on the eastbound bridge deck is expected to take about two weeks to complete. Weather permitting, this traffic shift will stay in place until the work is complete.

The bridge deck operation at this location is part of a project to rehabilitate seven bridges in Bartow and Floyd counties.

The project includes deck replacement, resetting bearings, application of polymer overlays, epoxy injection of the substructure members, joint replacement, correction of spalls in substructure, repair of undermining at the abutments, and painting of structural steel on the following bridges:

• S.R. over Etowah River
• S.R. 20 over Spring Creek
• S.R. 20 293/CSX Railroad
• S.R. 113 over Pettit Creek
• S.R. 1 Loop over Etowah River
• S.R. 1 Loop over Etowah River overflow
• S.R. 1 over Norfolk Southern railroad

“We certainly hope that all motorists watch out for this traffic shift and be extra cautious, while approaching this work zone,” said DeWayne Comer, district engineer at the Georgia DOT office in Cartersville. “This bridge rehabilitation project may be causing the public some inconvenience, but upon completion, it will improve the flow of traffic in the area, make it safer, and help the public get where they need to go in Bartow and Floyd counties."

The project is scheduled to wrap up by the end of March, and costs $6.1 million.

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