A new bridge to replace an aging connection from Jasper to Savannah

Flickr user curlie_fryz
No, not the big one, the little one in the foreground.

(Update 2 at the bottom.)

Estimated at $16.5 million, a new bridge is coming to repair a physical bridge between South Carolina and Georgia's waterways this summer (there doesn't seem to be too much hope for the political bridge on the Savannah River between our states).

The aging 58-year-old bridge that leads to Savannah is slated for repair, with about 50% of the cost being covered by the federal government and 5% from South Carolina.

And, no, we're not talking about the big Talmadge Memorial Bridge over the Savannah River, but the smaller bridge closer to the South Carolina border that runs over the Back River, the aptly named Back River Bridge.

The Savannah Morning News has a nice report; read it here.

In March 2011 the bridge was the scene of a fatal head-on collision that closed the bridge.

Update March 5, 2011: Impact on wetlands is becoming a concern that may delay construction of a new bridge.

Update 2, December 10: The construction price ticket has narrowed to an estimated $14.75 million, but the project is still awaiting the issuance of at least one more environmental permit.

The project is expected to be bid out in March 2013.

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