Croft Street Wooden Bridge Update
–The Following is a Press Release from The City of Carrollton
In 2005, the City of Carrollton took over responsibility for the Croft Street Wooden Bridge in exchange for ownership of the Bradley Street Depot. This is an extremely unusual ownership configuration and requires special permitting and insurance approved by Norfolk Southern Railroad, anytime repairs are needed.
As you know, Georgia DOT inspected the bridge in August of 2016, and found that a wooden cross beam had deteriorated to the point that the bridge was unsafe. The City subsequently closed the bridge until repairs could be made. The City first attempted to utilize Norfolk Southern Railroad’s preferred contractor to perform the repairs. That contractor required contract language for which the City could not legally agree. That process took nearly 2 months. The City then initiated a contract with GRC Stonewater who had performed repairs on the bridge previously.
GRC Stonewater began the special permitting process with Norfolk Southern Railroad. The permitting process requires the contractor to purchase a particular insurance policy that offers protection to Norfolk Southern Railroad’s interest. This type of policy is only offered by a handful of insurance companies nationally and has taken significant time to procure. Norfolk Southern has significant liability where the integrity of their tracks are concerned. We fully understand the caution with which they employ concerning work by outside parties.
The Croft Street Bridge repair insurance policy purchased by the City contractor (GRC Stonewater) is currently under review by Norfolk Southern Railroad. Once Norfolk Southern Railroad management approves the policy, the permits should be issued in the very near future.
Once all permits are issued and the authorization to proceed from Norfolk Southern Railroad is received, repairs are estimated to take less than one week.
We apologize for the inconvenience to the drivers who utilize Croft Street as a means of crossing the tracks and are hopeful that the bridge will be reopened soon.
For questions concerning this project please call the City Engineer or City Manager’s office, at (770) 830-2000.
