Construction on Atlanta’s Courtland Street Bridge reaches milestone

Construction on the bridge through Georgia State University began in January and should be finished by October.

Construction on the bridge through Georgia State University began in January and should be finished by October.

Construction on the Courtland Street Bridge in downtown Atlanta has reached a key milestone ahead of schedule.

According to the Georgia Department of Transportation, the last 21 beams have been placed on three spans over Decatur Street. The agency posted new time-lapse photographs of the construction on its web site Wednesday.

Construction on the $25 million new bridge between Gilmer Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive began in January and is expected to be completed by October. But GDOT said the beams have been laid ahead of schedule.

To minimize disruption in the Georgia State University area, GDOT and contractor C.W. Matthews are employing accelerated construction techniques – doing some of the needed work simultaneously instead of one piece at a time.

The 1,100-foot bridge was originally built in 1907, and GSU has grown up around it. You can read more about the Courtland Street Bridge construction here.