ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) -Albany drivers receive good news waiting on the new Oglethorpe Bridge downtown: the Georgia Department of Transportation confirms the project is still on schedule.

GDOT said the bridge is still set to reopen July 22, 2026. The new structure will carry four lanes of traffic and include a shared-use path for pedestrians and cyclists.

In the meantime, many residents have been navigating the detour route — but for some, that’s not an easy fix.

East Albany resident Olympia Browe says the closure has upended her daily routine.

“That’ll be a birthday gift because this bridge is always backed up,” Browe said. “My child goes to school over there as well as I work on the other side of town. So, it would just be better for me to go this way. I never really took the [Liberty Expressway]. I’ve always taken the roads. But once they closed the other bridge, I had no choice to get to work.”

Construction on the Oglethorpe Boulevard Bridge replacement began in July 2025. GDOT says the full project completion date is November 30, 2026 — and none of those deadlines have changed.

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