I-85 Rebuild: How Much Will The New Bridge Cost?

ATLANTA, GA -- If you're wondering how much it will cost for the Georgia Department of Transportation to replace the Interstate 85 bridge over Piedmont Road in Midtown, then the answer to your question has finally been provided by the agency.

GDOT on Tuesday announced it will cost $13.5 million to demolish the existing damaged portion of the bridge and to build an entirely new structure, said Director of Constriction Marc Mastronardi.

Broken down, that's $1.6 million for demolition and $11.9 million for construction.

If construction is completed before the June 15 deadline, up to $3.1 million in incentives will be added to the total cost.

Mastronardi also provided a status update for the I-85 bridge project as well as plans to resurface an existing stretch of the interstate.

“We are taking advantage of innovative construction technology, like quick curing concrete, to get this roadway open to the public as quickly as possible without jeopardizing safety,” Mastronardi said. “There are a lot of moving parts involved with this project that may affect the end date, but we are impressed with the rate at which work is being done. We are confident this major artery will be open for travel by June 15 at the very latest.”

By the end of the day Tuesday, all 61 beams required will be set, deck spans for five of the six spans will be in place and reinforced steel will have been tied on two of the six deck spans, the agency added.

As the deck reinforcing steel is completed, construction crews can begin pouring the decks, which will be followed by pouring the concrete barrier sides for both northbound and southbound sides of the roadway. The quick curing concrete being utilized for this project has been used successfully on other high traffic, high impact corridors such as I-20, I-75 and I-285.

Along with completing the work to rebuild the bridge, GDOT will take advantage of the closure by resurfacing 6.6 miles of I-85 from I-75 to Clairmont Road.

Milling of the northbound travel lanes is underway and crews are working to get as much work done as possible before the reopening of I-85 to avoid significant lane closures.

The $22.9 million resurfacing project had been on hold while Georgia DOT determined a suitable strategy to efficiently get the project done while minimizing public inconvenience. The low-bid joint contract was awarded to C.W. Matthews Contracting Co., Inc. and E.R. Snell Contractor, Inc. Each will focus their efforts on a single direction, reducing the time frames that work will affect motorists. The anticipated completion date is Feb. 28, 2018.

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