April 30, 2014:

Georgia DOT has advised FYN the bridge in question was damaged in the flooding last July. An inspection immediately following the floods yielded no results but the passage of time has caused deterioration and previously unknown damage to be revealed.Sam Wheeler with DOT stated,

“Basically, one of the foundations has been compromised by flooding activity and there are some serious concerns to the safety of the traveling public.”

A recent re-inspection revealed the problems which resulted in the state bridge maintenance engineer being contacted to make a decision. He opted to close it due to the amount of damage and the rains we’ve experienced this week likely to further erode the structure’s stability.

April 29, 2014:

Press release from Georgia Department of Transportation:

Georgia DOT is closing the State Route 136 Bridge over Talking Rock Creek east of Jasper today.

What: State Route 136 at Talking Rock Creek will be completely closed to traffic. No vehicles can cross the bridge. A detour signed route is in place.

Why: Emergency repairs need to be made to the bridge structure.

When: The road is closing today and will remain closed for several weeks as emergency repairs are made. This work is weather sensitive so a firm opening date cannot be determined at this time.

Detour Route: The signed detour route for State Route 136 east traffic will use State Route 515 south to State Route 53 east to State Route 183 north back to State Route 136 east. State Route 136 west traffic will use State Route 183 south to State Route 53 west to State Route 515 and back to State Route 136 west.