Replacing the Courtland St. Bridge

             In October 2005, students and staff were warned of the Courtland St. Bridge's dangerous erosion pattern via email from Georgia State officials. Georgia State's Relations and External Affairs Department was working with Atlanta's Department of Public Works to have the slated date of the replacement of the bridge moved from its proposed 2010 date to 2008 after the degradation of the bridge was deemed a hazard to vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

           Almost seven years later, the antiquated structure built in 1906 has yet to receive that replacement. The short-term remedy for the crumbling bridge is a series of mesh nets keeping the dangerous debris from landing on cars and pedestrian traffic near the intersection of Collins St. and Decatur St. on Georgia State's campus.

           A statement issued by the Department of Public Works on the condition of the bridge acknowledged the nets as protection against the deteriorating bridge. "The Department of Public Works continues to monitor the integrity of the Courtland Street Bridge. Our contractor for bridge repairs will be working at this location within the next week to start a special underdeck repair that would eliminate falling debris."

          The DPW maintains that the bridge remains structurally sound and safe for vehicle travel. Georgia State officials have had an ongoing dialogue with Atlanta and GDOT authorities to attempt to resolve issues with the bridge.

           Since the bridge is not Georgia State property the university must rely on government agencies to hire contractors to repair or replace the bridge. "Replacement of the Courtland Street Bridge has been on the Department of Transportation's priority list for several years. We support the state's efforts to include this project in their current priority list of projects," said Tom Lewis, Senior Advisor to President Mark Becker.

           "We are also pleased that the Atlanta Roundtable included this bridge replacement on their final transportation investment list for the TSPLOST that will be voted on in 2013. In the meantime, we continue to work with the City of Atlanta to ensure appropriate measures are taken for the safety of pedestrians."

           The Transportation and Investment Act, signed in to law in 2010, divides Georgia in to 12 regions so that voters can decide their own transportation needs. Voters will get the opportunity to decide if they will add the Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax for transportation, or TSPLOST, in 2012. Georgia's sales tax is currently 4%, and regions will have the option to add up to 2% to the current sales tax to be allocated to transportation needs if the TSPLOST is passed.

           The Courtland Street Bridge is now a candidate to be replaced by the Georgia Department of Transportation. The bridge replacement is still up for public review along with a June 2011 $22.9 billion list of other regional roadway needs.

        The region that includes the Metro Atlanta area, the Atlanta Regional Roundtable, has included the Courtland Street Bridge on their list of transportation issues to be voted on if the voters decide to pass TPSLOST. The list of $22.9 billion needed repairs for the region will be whittled down to $6.14 billion after proposed projects are cut from the list.

        A GDOT and Atlanta Roundtable factsheet on the proposed project gave the Courtland St. Bridge a sufficiency rating of 49.49 out of 100 points. Any rating under 50 points is considered in need of replacement. "That doesn't sound safe at all," said Jason Bright, a junior at Georgia State. "For years only netting has been keeping pieces of bridge from falling on people? I walk under that thing all the time."

       If the Courtland St. Bridge does make the list, the GDOT will not begin construction until 2017. The AAR sets the cost of the new bridge at $22,000,000 and "the bridge will be designed to accommodate multiple modes of transportation, including bicycles, pedestrians, transit, and freight vehicles."