BLAKELY, Ga. (WALB) — Construction on three Early County bridges will close parts of State Route 62 to non-local traffic in the coming weeks.

The Bridges over Dry Creek and the Creek Overflow will be replaced first. This part of the project is expected to take 180 days, according to GDOT. That brings the bridges back into service in late February of 2027.

Construction on the first two bridges will detour traffic to State Route 1, 200, and 45. The roads will be closed at milepost 16 near Barksdale Lane and milepost 18 near Peru Loop. The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) will close those parts of State Route 62 starting on August 24, 2026.

The third bridge, at Breastworks Branch, will have a detour bridge to maintain access to the Early County airport, according to officials. At this time, there is no estimated date when GDOT will reroute traffic from the Breastworks Branch Bridge.

GDOT classifies the bridges as “functionally obsolete due to the narrow deck widths. Vehicles used in their design were also lighter than those in use today.”

The Dry Creek and Breastworks Branch bridges were built in 1937. The Creek Overflow Bridge was built in 1938. The replacement bridges will have two 12-foot lanes, 8-foot shoulders, and meet current design standards, per GDOT.

GDOT estimates the projects will cost approximately $15 million dollars with Preliminary Engineering and right-of-way acquisition.

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