In less than two weeks, the trip from Douglas to Waycross is about to take a little longer.
According to a press release from the Georgia Department of Transportation, Highway 158 between Douglas and Waycross will close for a year or more beginning Monday, April 29, 2019 for bridge construction. The DOT will oversee construction on the bridges over the Satilla River (Sgt. Jerry Bagley Memorial Bridge), the Satilla River Overflow, and Fullwood Creek as crews tear down and rebuild the bridges.
The project length is two miles long located approximately 3.5 miles north of US 82 and just south of Telmore Dixie Union Road. The current three bridges were built in 1950 and have posted weight restrictions. The bridges will be dismantled and new bridges built to current safety standard with 12-foot travel lanes and eight-foot emergency shoulders at the same site, requiring a detour. The detour allows the work to be completed twice as fast and saves on construction cost by not changing the alignment of the bridges.
Traffic will be detoured via US 82 West, US 441 North in Pearson, SR 135 East in Douglas to SR 158 but motorists can access residences in the area up to the work zone. For the safety of the public, unauthorized personnel and motorized vehicles are not permitted in the construction zone.
If the weather cooperates, SR 158 is expected to reopen to traffic in spring/summer of 2020.