Darien Bridge Project
8/30/2288/30/22 Update:
The Intergovernmental Leadership Committee representing the City, the County, the DDA and the IDA met with officials from the Georgia DOT virtually this morning. We were pleased to hear that the GDOT folks were proceeding with alternative designs for the bridge. The alternatives being considered do not include an off-site detour of traffic.
Today we learned that GDOT is preparing materials for a Public Information Open House (PIOH) scheduled to begin virtually in late November 2022. The virtual PIOH will be followed by an Open House for the stakeholders and citizens to visit with GDOT officials in the upstairs meeting room in City Hall. This in-person meeting will be held in mid-January 2023.
After the PIOH, the GDOT team will work toward a final conceptual design. This final conceptual design will be developed considering our comments from the PIOH. After the final conceptual design is approved by GDOT management, the project will enter the design / build process.
We asked specifically when right-of-way acquisition would begin, and we were advised this would probably start in the Summer of 2023.
Our leadership group will again meet with the GDOT planning and design team in October.
We want to thank you again for serving on the Bridge Task Force. We expect to get very active in November when GDOT shares their recommended conceptual design with us.
Should you have any questions, please call or email me.
Bill Hodges,
Spokesman for the Intergovernmental Bridge Leadership Group
Ph. 912-478-3333
IGA Leadership Committee
Richard Braun, Darien City Manager
David Stevens, McIntosh County Commission Chairman
Russell Quarterman, Chairman Darien Downtown Development Authority
Bill Hodges, Member McIntosh County Industrial Development Authority
8/15/22 Update:
Good day,
This is a short memo to update you on our activities with the Georgia DOT related to the Darien River Bridge Replacement. Since GDOT advised us that they were working on a design that would only close the bridge for a few weeks, we have no new information. We converse with them by telephone at least weekly, but to date there is no news.
As we discussed at the task force meeting, they are telling us they will have a preferred conceptual design the fourth quarter of this year, or sometime between October and December. During that time frame, they expect to have a public meeting open house to present the conceptual design.
Please know that if we hear any additional information, we will immediately advise the task force members.
Again, thank you for your service to our community.
Bill Hodges, Spokesman for the Intergovernmental Bridge Leadership Group
Ph. 912-478-3333
From the Georgia Department of Transportation:
The existing bridge over the Darien River needs to be replaced as it does not meet current design standards and has observed deterioration in the structure. The project proposes to replace the SR 25 (US HWY 17) bridge over Darien River in McIntosh County using innovative Design-Build delivery method.
Project Overview
This project will replace the existing bridge on State Route (SR) 25 over the Darien River in McIntosh County, Georgia. The existing bridge was built in 1944 and does not meet current design standards. The existing bridge is structurally deficient and has observed conditions of deterioration in the structure.
The new bridge structure at SR 25 over the Darien River will include a shared-use path and sidewalk. The profile of the replacement bridge will be adjusted slightly to accommodate the required vertical clearance.
Benefits of replacing the bridge at SR 25 (US 17) over the Darien River include:
- Improves safety for motorists as the new bridge will meet current design standards
- Accommodates bicyclists and pedestrians with multiuse, shared path and sidewalk
- Construction of a platform as requested by the community to perform the city of Darien’s annual Blessing of the Fleet
Current Status
After careful consideration, Georgia DOT is shifting the delivery model of the SR 25 bridge at Darien River from the traditional Design-Bid-Build (DBB) to innovative Design-Build (DB) to expedite the replacement of this bridge. The DB delivery method selects one entity under a single contract to provide design and construction services and allows for overlapping design and construction activities. With a DB delivery method, Georgia DOT can leverage industry and construction partners to bring creative solutions and innovation to help reduce construction duration, maximize the use of resources, minimizes potential impacts to the traveling public, and potentially lower the project cost.
The project team will be coordinating with stakeholders on the change in delivery method being used for this bridge replacement project and a proposed detour. Georgia DOT plans to host another Public Information Open House (PIOH) in Q3 2022 to share more information about the project design, proposed detour, and schedule.
More information will be shared in the coming months as the project advances.
