Monroe County Commissioners received approval on Tuesday, June 27 for a more than $1.5 million state matching grant to install a new prefabricated concrete bridge to replace the damaged Old Brent Road bridge, which has been out of service since April 2022.
The Monroe County Board of Commissioners applied on Jan. 18 for a Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank (GTIB) Grant in the amount of $1,589,860 with a $794,930 (50 percent) match from Monroe County. The grant funds will be used to repair the Old Brent Road bridge, which has been out of operation since it was damaged due to flooding from an April 2022 storm. Todd Creek has had a history of flooding at the Old Brent Road intersection during heavy rain.
After learning the cost of installing a new prefabricated bridge would be in excess of $1.5 million, Commissioners decided in September 2022 to postpone repairs on the bridge until they could determine a funding option for the project. Instead, traffic continued to be detoured farther south on Hwy. 83 South until a solution could be identified. Old Brent Road not only has residential homes on it, but it is also the site of Monroe County Schools’ transportation barn as well as the River Edge Behavioral Health facility.
Four months later, in January 2023, Commissioners approved to allow Monroe County grant writer Tammy Selman to apply for the GTIB grant to fund the bridge installation with Monroe County paying the 50 percent match using a combination of Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) funds, Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funds and revenue from the general fund. With assistance from County Special Projects Consultant Kim Stokes and Carter Engineering, Selman submitted a request for funding to remove and replace the current culvert structure on Old Brent Road with a 4,480 square-foot prefabricated concrete bridge.
The Old Brent Road bridge project is one of seven transportation projects around Georgia that received a total of $17.3 million in funding on Tuesday through GTIB loans and grants.
Governor Brian Kemp said in a release on Tuesday about the GTIB loan and grant distributions: “Georgia is in the midst of a second industrial revolution, and as a result the need to further build out our infrastructure has never been greater. Thanks to SRTA (State Road and Tollway Authority), this year we are able to fund all of the rural projects that submitted an application for this statewide program. With these substantial awards, we are paving the way for economic growth, expanded opportunities, and seamless mobility for all hardworking Georgians, regardless of their zip code. Together, we continue to build a stronger Georgia, one road at a time.”
District 1 Commissioner Lamarcus Davis, who represents Old Brent Road, said the residents there have gotten used to having the Old Brent Road bridge available to cross for most, if not all, of their lives. He said while it sometimes might seem like government is moving slowly, Commissioners are working behind the scenes to solve the issues of their citizens.
“It’s great that we’ve been able to secure a grant to replace the Old Brent Road bridge,” Commissioner Davis said. “It’s another example of our county leaders working for the community.”
Commissioner Davis said work on the project is expected to begin this fall.
