A bridge along Freemanville Road is set to close on May 26 – a necessary move that will result in a months-long detour as well as a prohibition on through-traffic along Landrum Road. (Note: The original closure date was May 7, which GDOT pushed back after the end of the school year at the City's request.)

Before that happens, there will be an open house-style event for people to ask questions and share opinions about what’s to come. This will run from 5:30-7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29, inside City Hall’s Council Chambers.  Anyone can drop in any time in that window to view displays of the Georgia Department of Transportation’s detour and get information about Landrum Road’s closure. 

The bridge in question along Freemanville Road spans Cooper Sandy Creek south of Providence Road and north of Landrum Road. The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), whose inspectors determined that a new bridge there was needed, is overseeing the entire project including construction and corresponding detours. (In other words, the City has no direct involvement.) 

GDOT crews have been working for months on this project, albeit off Freemanville Road away from traffic. That work is setting the stage for removing the existing bridge (while the road is closed) and replacing it with a brand new one with 11-feet lanes in both directions as well as shoulders and space for a future multiuse path on one side. 

According to GDOT, both the Freemanville and Landrum closures are expected to begin May 7 (though the exact date could change). The state agency estimates the new bridge could reopen in both directions sometime in the fall, though work on this project likely will continue for a few additional months after that reopening. 

Landrum Road itself will not be physically altered as part of this project. Still, no through traffic will be allowed on it in order to protect this gravel road for safety reasons given its design as well as to prevent excessive wear-and-tear caused by large numbers of travelers. (Those who live on Landrum Road can still access their homes.) 

Even while this is a GDOT project, the City will do what it can to inform the public through physical signage plus detour information shared on the City of Milton’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/thecityofmiltonga/), through Road Closure text alerts (sign-up at www.miltonga.gov/Notifications), or by email (via www.miltonga.gov/Emails). Residents can also email comments and queries to Deputy Public Works Director Rob Dell-Ross at robert.dell-ross@miltonga.gov.