9/1/17
White County Commission Chairman Travis Turner discusses detour route with GDOT spokeswoman Katie Strickland
(Cleveland)- Local residents turned out Thursday evening for the Georgia Department of Transportation Detour Open House to discuss the proposed Roy Head Bridge rehabilitation project on State Route 11/ US 129 over Tesnatee Creek, north of Cleveland.
The open house was held at Jack P. Nix Elementary School in Cleveland and GDOT spokesperson Katie Strickland said this bridge is almost 60 years old and something needs to be done. Strickland said, “ it’s going to replace the driving surface and it’s going to help the sub-structure of the bridge because it is currently cracking. “
The dates for this project have been set for June first- July 20th next year. Work on this project is being done during the summer months to minimize the impact on traffic, if school was in progress. Strickland said the roadway will be completely shut down for a maximum of 21 days and during this time motorist will be detoured onto Tesnatee Gap Valley Road.
GDOT detour route map detailed in red
In addition to plenty of notice about when the closure will begin, GDOT will have in place message boards and detour signage, plus there will be a temporary signal light put in place at the intersection of Tesnatee Gap Valley Road and Highway 115 West.
According to GDOT, the work on the bridge will include, painting the steel beams, replacement of bridge deck joints to protect the underlying steel structure members and placing a protective overlay riding surface on top of the bridge deck.
Note: The “Roy Head Bridge;” locate one mile north of Cleveland was named for the first soldier killed in World War I from White County. The current bridge was designated in a resolution of the Georgia General Assembly in 1958.
