A key stretch of Cheshire Bridge Road in Atlanta that’s been closed for more than a year will partially reopen Monday, according to the city’s Department of Transportation.
The once busy thoroughfare was cut in half at South Fork Peachtree Creek since a fire in August of 2021. Fire damage to the overpass forced the city to demolish and replace the bridge.
City spokesman Michael Smith said the new crossing will open in the morning, but he didn’t provide a specific time.
A segment of Cheshire Bridge Road between Woodland Avenue NE and Faulkner Road NE has been closed to all traffic for more than 14 months.
On Monday, commuters will be able to use one lane in each direction and the sidewalk on the west side of the road as the rest of the project is completed. Cheshire Bridge Road has two lanes in each direction and sidewalks on both sides of the street.
At noon, Mayor Andre Dickens, City Council member Alex Wan and Department of Transportation leaders will visit the new bridge to mark the progress with the partial reopening.
Cheshire Bridge Road is a key connection between some Midtown and Piedmont Park neighborhoods and I-85 and Buckhead. The detour around the closure extends two to three miles.
The closure has caused frustration in the area, with the detour increasing traffic in residential areas and diverting drivers from the business corridor. Numerous shops and restaurants line Cheshire Bridge Road near the construction site.
A year after the fire that closed the bridge, Jonas Ghebre, owner of Mexican grocery store and restaurant Mercado Acapulco y Taqueria, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that his usual lunch rush had been down, causing a 30% hit to revenue. He said the area had become a ghost town.
“It’s very ridiculous to wait this long to get a small bridge fixed,” he told the AJC several weeks ago.
The project has taken longer than originally expected. The city hoped for construction to begin by by the end of March, which would have been seven months after the fire and four months after demolition.
But the city didn’t select a contractor for the $7 million project until May. Construction started in July, nearly a year after the fire. Wan, who represents the area, previously said the city could have handled procurement better.
The city website tracking the Cheshire Bridge project doesn’t provide an anticipated completion date or any information about partial openings in the interim. The most recent update was posted Sept. 23 and stated lanes were expected to reopen Oct. 31. It notes contractor C. W. Matthews has crews working day and night seven days a week.
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