LONG OVERDUE NEWS FOR ANYONE TRAVELING INTERSTATE 20 AT THE GA-SOUTH CAROLINA BORDER

[EAGLE EYE 444]

PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT BEGINNING TODAY AND FOR APPROXIMATELY THE NEXT 3 YEARS, THE BRIDGE AREA OVER THE SAVANNAH RIVER IS TO FINALLY BE UPDATED WITH A NEW BRIDGE WITH A TOTAL OF 6 LANES. ACCORDING TO D.O.T., THIS AREA OF WORK WILL INCLUDE ABOUT A ONE MILE IN GEORGIA AND ALSO INTO SOUTH CAROLINA TO EXIT #1.

THIS WORK PROJECT IS LONG OVERDUE AS THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS CRASHES AND SEVERAL FATALITIES INVOLVED AS SEVERAL VEHICLES ULTIMATELY ENDED UP IN THE WATER BELOW.

SUPPOSEDLY, THE ACTUAL WORKERS ARE TO BE WORKING ON THIS PROJECT AT NIGHT AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES HAVE WARNED THE PUBLIC ABOUT POSSIBLE DELAYS ETC INVOLVED THROUGHOUT THIS "LLLLOOOONNNNGGGG" PROJECT !!!!

DRIVE SAFELY ESPECIALLY IN THAT AREA.

 

[telco guy]

I have a son in law that travels across that bridge everyday to his veterinary clinic

 

[Dub]

Fun times.

 

[NOYDB]

Google misaligned bridge for some neat photoshopped pics.

 

[GoldDot40]

Great...I'm putting in my 2 weeks notice. It's bad enough that the crew that's widening Hwy 17/78 between Washington and Thomson are taking their sweet time. I-520 around Augusta is about to get PACKED out.

 

[GoldDot40]

PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT BEGINNING TODAY AND FOR APPROXIMATELY THE NEXT 3 YEARS, THE BRIDGE AREA OVER THE SAVANNAH RIVER IS TO FINALLY BE UPDATED WITH A NEW BRIDGE WITH A TOTAL OF 6 LANES. ACCORDING TO D.O.T., THIS AREA OF WORK WILL INCLUDE ABOUT A ONE MILE IN GEORGIA AND ALSO INTO SOUTH CAROLINA TO EXIT #1.

THIS WORK PROJECT IS LONG OVERDUE AS THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS CRASHES AND SEVERAL FATALITIES INVOLVED AS SEVERAL VEHICLES ULTIMATELY ENDED UP IN THE WATER BELOW.

SUPPOSEDLY, THE ACTUAL WORKERS ARE TO BE WORKING ON THIS PROJECT AT NIGHT AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES HAVE WARNED THE PUBLIC ABOUT POSSIBLE DELAYS ETC INVOLVED THROUGHOUT THIS "LLLLOOOONNNNGGGG" PROJECT !!!!

DRIVE SAFELY ESPECIALLY IN THAT AREA.

So much for the night work on the Savannah River bridge on the GA/SC line. It took me 1hr & 10min to drive from exit 5 in SC to exit 183 in Appling this afternoon. 22 miles to where I was going. Outrageous.

 

[TurkeyJay]

Thank you for the info. We have many installers that ride out that every few days from Lawrenceville .

 

[EAGLE EYE 444]

So much for the night work on the Savannah River bridge on the GA/SC line. It took me 1hr & 10min to drive from exit 5 in SC to exit 183 in Appling this afternoon. 22 miles to where I was going. Outrageous.

Heck for a minute, I thought that you were over there just visiting the Gypsy neighborhood.


The problem that you had yesterday is actually related to repairing the bridge railing that someone smashed into recently on the westbound side. The strange thing is that NOBODY knew just who hit and damaged it. It has to be repaired ASAP to hopefully keep vehicles from flying over the railing and falling 50 feet into the river. It is one heck of a bumpy ride especially in the westbound lane when you enter out onto the bridge and lots of vehicles have lost control and wrecked because of it as they don't slow down before crossing this bridge stretch. Unfortunately, this had to be done during the daytime hours for the safety of the workers involved on this railing repair.

 

[StriperrHunterr]

I used to go over that bridge nearly every weekend when I was stationed at Gordon. It's about time.

 

[GoldDot40]

Heck for a minute, I thought that you were over there just visiting the Gypsy neighborhood.


The problem that you had yesterday is actually related to repairing the bridge railing that someone smashed into recently on the westbound side. The strange thing is that NOBODY knew just who hit and damaged it. It has to be repaired ASAP to hopefully keep vehicles from flying over the railing and falling 50 feet into the river. It is one heck of a bumpy ride especially in the westbound lane when you enter out onto the bridge and lots of vehicles have lost control and wrecked because of it as they don't slow down before crossing this bridge stretch. Unfortunately, this had to be done during the daytime hours for the safety of the workers involved on this railing repair.

I saw the damaged guard rail yesterday when I crossed. They still got it down to 1 lane again today. I remember about 3 years ago when the truck driver dozed off and hit the right side guard rail on the west bound lane. He turned over and slid perfectly down the middle of the bridge on his side. That had it shut down for like 12 hours if I remember right. He was hauling dog food.

 

[EAGLE EYE 444]

GOLD-DOT40,

FIRST BEFORE I FORGET, I LOVED YOUR RANDOM PHOTO OF "LITTLE RIVER BRIDGE" AS YOU DROVE OVER CLARK'S HILL LAKE TO GET INTO LINCOLN COUNTY. I HAVE MADE THE TRIP ACROSS THAT SPAN PROBABLY WELL OVER 10,000 TIMES DURING MY LIFETIME. I DO LOVE THE NEW BRIDGE AND I KNOW THAT THERE HAS BEEN SEVERAL ACCIDENTS ON IT WITH ONE FATALITY SO FAR TOO. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS A YOUNG GIRL THAT WAS TEXTING AND HIT A LOG TRUCK HEAD-ON. SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO TURN OFF ONTO THE ROAD FOR HER EMPLOYMENT AT THE YMCA FACILITY ONLY 1/2 MILE FROM WHERE SHE WAS KILLED.

************************

HAVE YOU SET UP RESIDENCE IN THE TANK FARM IN NORTH AUGUSTA ????

I ALSO HAVE TO DRIVE ACROSS THIS BRIDGE STRETCH TOO FREQUENTLY AND I HATE THAT AREA BECAUSE IT IS TOO BUMPY AND WAY TOO NARROW FOR THIS KIND OF TRAFFIC. THE "PUCKER FACTOR" RUNS RATHER HIGH WHEN I HAVE TO DRIVE THROUGH THAT AREA BECAUSE THERE ARE TOO MANY IDIOTS THAT THINK THAT THEY NEED TO USE TWO LANES TO DRIVE THROUGH INSTEAD OF ONE.

*************

THE CRAZY FACT IS THAT FROM 2013 THROUGH 2016, THERE WERE OVER 600 ACCIDENTS IN THAT 1 MILE STRETCH OF HIGHWAY.

I REMEMBER SEVERAL FATALITIES THAT HAVE OCCURRED IN THAT STRETCH AND SOME WITH TRUCKS AND PASSENGER VEHICLES GOING INTO THE WATER BELOW. I ALSO REMEMBER SEVERAL MIRACLE RESCUES AS WELL OVER THESE YEARS.

THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THE NEWLY DESIGNED BRIDGE WILL HAVE 3 LANES IN EACH DIRECTION THAT WILL HAVE A 12 FOOT WIDE SHOULDER ON BOTH THE INSIDE LANE AND THE OUTSIDE LANE. THE NEW BRIDGE WILL ALSO HAVE A MEDIAN TO SEPARATE EACH DIRECTION OF TRAVEL.

THIS NEW DESIGN WILL ACTUALLY BEGIN AT EXIT #1 (MARTINTOWN ROAD) IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND WILL BLEND BACK INTO THE TRAFFIC UP TO THE EXIT # 200 AT RIVERWATCH PARKWAY IN GEORGIA. I REALLY WISH THAT IT WOULD EXTEND ALL THE WAY TO EXIT # 5 AS THAT IS WHERE A VERY LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THIS GASOLINE TRUCK TRAFFIC IS LEAVING OR ARRIVING ETC.

THE ESTIMATED COST OF THIS PROJECT IS PROJECTED TO BE OVER $90 MILLION WITH GEORGIA PAYING 60 % AND SOUTH CAROLINA PAYING THE REMAINING 40 %.

THE OTHER FACT THAT WAS ORIGINALLY SHOWN BACK A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WHEN THIS PROJECT WAS GETTING ON THE DRAWING TABLE WAS THAT THE DAILY TRAFFIC THEN WAS CALCULATED TO BE 60,100 VEHICLES PER DAY AND THE BIG TRUCKS SUCH AS YOURS MADE UP ONLY 13 % OF THAT TOTAL. NOW THE LATEST PROJECTIONS ARE FOR THE DAILY VEHICLE TOTAL TO REACH 87,000 VEHICLES PER DAY BY 2037.

 

[GoldDot40]

You would think I lived over here. I live 10 min Northeast of Athens and park my truck in Athens. I was the 1st person hired for the Athens area for this company. I had to do all my training in N Augusta...so I got to know my way around a bit down there plus I have credentials to access almost all those terminals in N Augusta. My company takes advantage of me anytime they're short on help down that way. I've been working out of N Augusta every day for the last 2 weeks. Down here today too.

I was hired to (and used to) haul fuel in North GA...out of Athens to Dawsonville, up to Blairsville, over to Clarkesville, over to Elberton, in the other direction to Winder, Madison and everywhere in between. It'd be safe to say I cover the entire Eastern half of the state. When I come to N Augusta to work, I'll run to Columbia SC, Orangeburg SC and all the way down to Savannah...and of course all of the CSRA. Anytime my last load is in Evans, I'll go back through the country side and cross Clarks Hill lake for the scenery. I definitely got some miles under my belt.

Is is going to really suck down here when they start that updating of the Savannah River bridge. Hopefully they will stick to their word and work at night. I try to be headed home from down here no later than 2:30 every day. It takes right at 2 hours to drive back in a truck that only runs 65.