DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. — A bridge ravaged by historic flooding will have to wait for repairs in light of a recent wildlife discovery.
Douglas County officials said a threatened fish and nesting birds are holding up reconstruction of a bridge on Mason Creek Road.
The bridge was originally slated for a redo by the Douglas County Department of Transportation. After the bridge was nearly wiped out by the epic flood last September, state and federal funds became available for bridge reconstruction. In order to use those funds, county officials said they were required to conduct an environmental impact study of the project.
Study results revealed that the bridge creek covers the spawning grounds of the threatened high scale shiner fish, so it cannot be disturbed from March 1 to June 30. The study also said that barn swallows nesting in the damaged bridge cannot be disturbed from April 1 to Aug. 31.
While construction of the new bridge is set to begin in early 2011, the completion date has been pushed backed six to eight months due to the wildlife.
While Mason Creek Road is closed, parents and buses must use an alternate route to access two schools on the street. Nearby residents told Channel 2's David Chandley that the whole process has been more than an inconvenience.
On the other hand, one resident who lives next to the bridge said she would like to see the road remain closed. She told Chandley that she enjoys the quiet.