GDOT says Mt. Vernon bridge will not reopen until next year

SANDY SPRINGS — The Mt. Vernon bridge over Interstate 285 in Sandy Springs will not reopen until next year, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.

In a release from GDOT on Thursday, it said the bridge will not be open to vehicular or pedestrian traffic until Summer 2024.

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This comes after several lanes on I-285 westbound near Roswell Road were shut down Wednesday afternoon. Officials confirmed that the lanes were shut down due to damage at the Mt. Vernon Bridge over I-285.

A tractor-trailer hit the bridge at Riverside Drive, and in a statement from GDOT Thursday, the majority of the beams in the bridge were impacted.

“After a thorough inspection of the Mt. Vernon bridge over I-285, it was determined that five of six beams impacted by the Sept. 27 strike are of critical nature and require replacement,” the GDOT statement read.

GDOT said work recently began as part of the I-285 Auxiliary Lane project, which includes building a new bridge to replace the current one that was built in 1962.

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“The latest estimated completion and open-to-traffic date for the new Mt. Vernon bridge is Summer 2024,” said GDOT.

GDOT said it is evaluating all options to speed up the project timeline.

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