Clarks Bridge Road slated to open Friday

GAINESVILLE - If all goes as planned, the summer detour that has closed Clarks Bridge Road/SR 284 will be removed Friday.<br /> <br /> The road is expected to open to traffic before dark, although there is no word on a specific time.<br /> <br /> "There is still a lot of work to finish so we don't have an exact time for opening Clarks Bridge Road," said Harold Mull Georgia DOT District Construction Engineer in a press statement. <br /> <br /> "Crews have finished paving the road. Tomorrow crews will stripe the road, install signs and install barrier wall around the pedestrian tunnel. The speed limit will be lowered to 35 miles per hour because the work is still continuing in the area and the driveways to the parking areas aren't finished yet." <br /> <br /> Clarks Bridge Road was closed May 26 for construction of the pedestrian tunnel under SR 284. The road will reopen one day ahead of the July 26 deadline.<br /> <br /> Even though the road will reopen to traffic, the pedestrian tunnel will not open for use Friday. Two retaining walls still must be built at each end of the tunnel, and then sidewalks can be poured to connect the tunnel to the parking areas and beach. <br /> <br /> This $8.7 million construction project is set for complete on December 31, 2015.<br /> <br /> The existing bridge was built in 1958 and does not meet current design standards, according to DOT.