Back in November, Cornelia City Manager Dee Anderson announced Norfolk Southern Railroad offered to pay the city $100,000 to get rid of the Hoyt Street Bridge. On top of that, he said the railroad agreed to remove the bridge and clean up the area at no cost to the city.
Cornelia city commissioners said they wanted more time to explore the matter and get input from residents before making a decision. They’re still assessing things.
Cornelia Mayor John Borrow this week told Now Habersham that comm waiting to hear from people living in the neighborhoods that will be most affected by the change. Since there’s no rush to take Norfolk Southern up on its offer, commissioners are holding off on a decision for now.
The steel and timber-girded bridge crosses high above the railroad tracks, providing a convenient cut-through between the north and south sides of town.
In need of repair, the Hoyt Street Bridge has the third-worst safety rating of all the bridges in Habersham County. Because of that, the city has lowered the weight limit to discourage heavy trucks from using the bridge.
Explaining the commission’s measured approach to deciding on the future of the Hoyt Street Bridge, commissioner Don Bagwell previously said, “Once the bridge is gone, it’s gone forever.” At the time, he said he wanted the city to analyze how removing the bridge might affect traffic patterns and city services.
