The Roberts Road Bridge over Goss Creek, near 226 Roberts Rd., has been indefinitely closed for emergency repair.
According to a letter sent to Senator Rick Williams, the bridge suffered significant storm damage that was discovered on July 10 during a routine inspection. The bridge has wooden wing walls with a concrete box culvert.
“The wooden wing walls cannot handle the severity of storms, which cause significant soil erosion,” the letter states. “Roberts Road is now closed to thru traffic until the box culvert can be installed.”
At the July 15 Baldwin County Board of Commissioners meeting, Commissioner Sammy Hall requested an amendment to the agenda to authorize County Manager Carlos Tobar to sign a contract with an engineering firm to provide design and engineering for Roberts Road Bridge and for Chairman Andrew Strickland to sign and send the letter to the Georgia Department of Transportation to request funds for the bridge.
“Roberts Road Bridge is in a dangerous situation. We’ve had to close the bridge and we need to get it repaired,” said Hall at the meeting.
“The Roberts Road Bridge has essentially failed, and this is an emergency situation,” added Tobar.
The board unanimously approved this amendment and proceeded to approve sending the letter to Williams and signing an engineering contract.
“The Georgia Department of Transportation has never turned us down for emergency funding and I believe we have a good case,” said Tobar in the meeting. “It should take about 45 days for them to make a decision and we want to be able to go out for a bid immediately after that period.”
Baldwin County EMA Director Wayne Johnson gave a report on the flooding event and bridge damage, citing that between April 6-8, Baldwin County experienced over four inches of rain in a 72-hour period, leading to flooding in “low-lying areas.”
“Preliminary assessments indicate the damage was likely due to swift water flow and prolonged submersion,” wrote Johnson.
Total project costs to repair the bridge are estimated at $664,285.93, according to the preliminary report. Williams has forwarded the letter and its attachments to the appropriate individuals, according to Tobar, and as of July 21, the county is awaiting GDOT’s response. Until further notice, the bridge will be closed for the safety of local residents.