The Georgia DOT is holding an open house on Thursday, January 17, at the Rome Civic Center from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. to discuss proposed plans to replace the Turner McCall Boulevard bridge over the Etowah River and Norfolk Southern Railroad.

The replacement bridge will include four lanes of traffic plus additional width for turn lanes. Engineers determined after a routine inspection that the current bridge that was built in 1956 needed to be replaced, and the decision was made to extend the turn lanes across the bridge to facilitate staged construction and help reduce congestion.

“When the determination was made to replace the bridge, we looked at how we could also improve traffic at the same time,” said GDOT District Six Engineer Grant Waldrop. “The additional bridge width allows for the turn lanes to be extended, which will help to move traffic across Turner McCall Boulevard.”
 
The project is projected to cost $28.5 million with construction expected to take two years when it gets underway in summer 2022.

Attendees of the open house can review the project, ask questions, and express any concerns they might have about the proposed improvements.

“We look forward to hearing from the public,” Waldrop said. “Their input on this project is important to us as we move forward.”