Public Invited to View State Highway 135 Altamaha Bridge Replacement Plans

July 22– The Georgia Department of Transportation will present plans August 1 on the proposed bridge replacement of the Neal Lee Gillis Memorial Bridge over the Altamaha River on State Route (SR) 135 in Jeff Davis and Montgomery Counties.

Georgia DOT is holding the public information open house from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Towns Bluff Heritage Center, 45 Riverwood Trail, Hazlehurst, GA 31539

The Department previously held an open house on the project in December 2015. The meeting was well attended and 95 comments were submitted. The feedback prompted Georgia DOT to reevaluate the project and the proposed detour. The Department has identified new alternatives to address public concerns.

Plans will be displayed for proposed bridge design, which eliminates the need for a detour, but would necessitate the bridge to be constructed on an off-set alignment northwest of the existing bridge. Representatives from construction, design, right of way, traffic operations, utilities and environmental will be available to answer questions. There will not be a formal presentation.

Written or verbal statements may be submitted during the open house. Written comments also may be submitted by mail or online by Tuesday, August 15. Mail comments to:

Eric Duff
State Environmental Administrator
Georgia Department of Transportation
600 West Peachtree St. NW
16th Floor
Atlanta, GA 30308

The link to submit online comments will not be available until after the open house is held. To comment online, follow these instructions:

Go to www.dot.ga.gov/PS/Public/PublicOutreach;
From the menu, select the  county in which the proposed project is located and click Go;
Select 2017 SR 135 Bridge at the Altamaha River;
Click Comment and follow the instructions.

A Georgia DOT representative will respond and all comments will be made part of the project’s official record.

The project display and plans will be available for review for 10 days after the open house via the online Public Outreach section at www.dot.ga.gov. Copies also will be available at the Georgia DOT Baxley Area Office located at 740 Oakdale Circle, Baxley, Georgia 31513. Following the 10-day public comment period, a copy of all comments received will be available by request at the Atlanta address listed above.

http://southeastgeorgiatoday.com/index.php/8-newsbreaks/39516-public-comments-invited-by-dot+