MILTON, Ga. — Work is underway to replace an aging bridge along a busy stretch of road in Milton, prompting detours that could last for five months.
The $2.9 million project is along Freemanville Road just south of Providence Road. The bridge was built in 1960 and has a load capacity 50% lower than current design standards, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.
“The bridge itself was deteriorating to the point where the state wanted to use their funding to replace it,” said Rob Dell-Ross, Milton’s Deputy Public Works Director. “Bridges generally have a 60-to-80-year design life. Many of the bridges across the state are reaching that end of life very soon.”
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
The city asked the state to wait until school ended for the year, when traffic volume is lighter, before demolishing the bridge. Milton High School and Northwestern Middle School are located near the site.
“We recognize there’s going to be an increase in traffic on the other parallel north and south roads, but we’re lucky at least for the first couple of months, that’s going to be happening in the summer when we have less volume overall,” Dell-Ross told Channel 2’s Bryan Mims.
Landrum Road, an unpaved road that links Freemanville Road with Birmingham Highway, is also closed to thru traffic.
Don Crews lives along that road and said many drivers use it as a cut-through.
“It’s just a really narrow dirt road, so it makes it difficult to have a lot of traffic,” he said. “It’ll be a little bit of an inconvenience, but I guess that’s how it is when they take the bridge out.”
TRENDING STORIES:
- Suspected shoplifter dead after being shot by officers in Town Center Mall parking lot
- High school graduate, father killed by fallen tree were leaders in Georgia community
- Driver hits 177 MPH on I-85 before crashing into woods
A GDOT spokesperson said the agency works closely with cities and counties to replace aging bridges that are not located on the state highway system. He said this project was primarily paid for with federal funds, but it also had financial support from the state and the city of Milton.
The city has informed drivers about the road closure and detours through social media messages, text alerts, email and road signs.
“I think they’ve been as considerate as they possibly can be and we’re all going to have to deal with it,” said David Kitchen, who lives near work zone.
The new bridge will include 11-foot-wide lanes and space on either side to accommodate a multi-use trail. GDOT says the project should be complete in five months, weather permitting.
City officials say four other bridges will be replaced in Milton in the next couple of years.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2026 Cox Media Group
