After more than a year of construction, the bridge on Irwin Bridge Road, across the Yellow River, will re-open for traffic following a public ribbon cutting ceremony on May 14.

There will be a brief program and then traffic will reopen to let drivers across the bridge along Irwin Bridge Road for the first time in several years.

The project involved the replacement of a structurally-deficient bridge over the Yellow River. With the old bridge, which was built in 1962, flood waters from the river would overtop the bridge during severe rain storms.

The new bridge is longer and was built at a higher elevation that places it well above the floodplain, thereby making it passable during floods.

“This is just another good example of great cooperation between the County and GDOT to improve the roadway infrastructure in our county,” Rockdale Transportation Director Miguel Valentin said.

The County was responsible for the design, utilities and acquisition of right of way phases, while the Georgia Department of Transportation was responsible for the construction phase of the project.

For more information, call the County Transportation Department at (770) 278-7200 or go to www.rockdalecounty.org