Repairs to Central Boulevard bridge over Sandy Creek began Friday and will continue over the next three to four months. The repairs will require alternating lane closures for both northbound and southbound travel.
Today, the contractor closed the southbound inside or passing lane from Coleman Market Place to Riverside Drive to allow for milling of the pavement covering the bridge deck. When complete, the work crew will close the inside northbound lane for milling.
Both inside lanes will be closed until late July or early August to allow for repairs. The contractor, which is Cleco Corp. of Rosedale, then will close the outside lanes to compete the bridge repairs.
The lane closures will be in effect 24/7. Motorists are urged to slow down and be alert to altered traffic patterns or consider an alternate route.
The bridge was scheduled for major rehabilitation. Major bridge repairs generally are due every 20 years. For the bridge over Sandy Creek, the repairs include replacing expansion joints and patching and overlaying the deck.
Over the past two summers, the city carried out major repairs to the Aiken Bridge and the Central Boulevard bridge over Riverside Drive. Next summer, the city has scheduled major repairs for the bridge over Piedmont Drive.
The city maintains 41 bridges. Each bridge is inspected every two years either by a staff engineer or by a private contractor.