The deadline for the completion of the arched bridge to Skidaway Island has been extended again after more construction issues have slowed the project.
The contractor, United Contractors, now expects the bridge to be opened to traffic in late September, said project manager Donald Anderson.
The bridge was originally supposed to be opened by Nov. 30, 2012, but work was brought to a halt last August after it was discovered some of the girders put in place did not meet design requirements.
After a delay of almost six months, work resumed in February and the expected completion date was extended to June.
Anderson said workers are pushing as hard as they can, but issues have slowed completion of the project.
“There is not one thing you can put your finger on,” Anderson said.
United Constractors has been paying $1,000 a day in damages for failing to meet the original deadline.
Anderson said some of the delay came after a beam was cracked when it was being positioned on the bridge, but that issue has since been resolved.
There are only two concrete decks left to pour and once that is done the project should move pretty quickly, he said.
The Georgia Department of Transportation is still waiting on confirmation from the contractor of a completion date, said spokeswoman Jill Nagel. The public does not need to be concerned about the delays and construction issues resulting in an unsafe bridge, Nagel said.
“GDOT is overseeing this project,” she said. “Everything will be up to our standards.”
The $22.5 million arched bridge is being built to replace the Diamond Causeway’s 40-year-old drawbridge, which breaks down and is difficult to repair.
Millicent Pitts, president of The Landings Association, said the delays have been disappointing to island residents but they do not want safety to be compromised.
“We don’t want them to rush it,” Pitts said. “But we are ready for our bridge.”
Down the road, the final phase of the Truman Parkway, which extends 2 miles from Whitefield Avenue to White Bluff Road, is proceeding on schedule to be completed in March, Nagel said.