Mt. Airy’s Seventh Street Bridge is back open to traffic after being closed for two months for repairs. The town’s city manager and police chief, Tim Jarrell, announced the reopening on Wednesday. [While the bridge is repaired and officially approved for travel, it is temporarily closed because of the snow.]
“Although it is open, we are not allowing any vehicles exceeding 5 tons to utilize it. We are awaiting approval from GDOT to allow the weight classification to be increased to our goal of 15 tons,” Jarrell says. “The 15 ton limit will allow for a loaded school bus to cross over the structure.”
Vehicles that exceed the current weight limit must continue to use alternate routes, Jarrell says.
The bridge was closed on Nov. 22, 2021, for crews to install new decking. It was initially expected to reopen in mid-December. Norfolk Southern owns the bridge, built in 1947, and Jarrells says the railroad company is paying for the repairs.
The last time the Seventh Street Bridge was repaired was in 1992.
