A bridge that serves as an important route for residents in the Lyerly and Menlo areas, and commuters from Alabama, is back open, but motorists will face significant restrictions when crossing.

The Mosteller Creek Bridge on Oak Hill Road west of Lyerly has reopened to traffic, according to the Chattooga County Commissioner’s Office. The bridge currently carries a 10-ton weight limit, and traffic is restricted to a single lane.

Barricades and safety barrels have been placed to direct vehicles through the designated travel lane. Stop signs and stop lines have also been installed on both approaches, and motorists traveling in either direction are required to come to a complete stop before proceeding across the bridge.

The reopening comes more than three months after the bridge was closed on June 16 following a Georgia Department of Transportation inspection that identified structural concerns requiring immediate attention. The bridge is located about a half-mile west of Lyerly and is also near Lyerly Elementary School.

The closure created an inconvenience for residents who regularly use Oak Hill Road to travel between the Lyerly and Menlo areas and neighboring Alabama communities. During the closure, traffic was detoured using Smallen Road and Dovers Cut Road.

Rather than simply waiting for a replacement bridge, Chattooga County hired Spicer Group, Inc. to conduct an independent structural inspection and determine whether the existing bridge could safely be reopened to lighter vehicles.

The engineering study included an evaluation of the bridge’s remaining load-carrying capacity and possible ways traffic could safely use the structure. Among the configurations considered were reduced lane widths and single-lane operation — similar to the traffic arrangement now being used.

The bridge itself is one of Chattooga County’s older structures. Current federal National Bridge Inventory data lists the steel bridge as having been built in 1930 and rates it in poor condition. The structure is approximately 48 feet long and carries around 1,000 vehicles per day.

Reopening the bridge does not eliminate plans for its eventual replacement.

The Georgia Department of Transportation has already added the Oak Hill Road at Mosteller Creek bridge replacement to its construction work program as Project 0021538. GDOT currently lists preliminary engineering for 2027, right-of-way acquisition for 2029, utilities in 2031 and construction in 2031. Current estimates include approximately $1.52 million for construction, although project schedules and costs can change as planning progresses.

Sole Commissioner Andy Allen has previously said the county is working with GDOT in an effort to move the replacement forward sooner than the currently programmed construction date.

For now, the reopening restores an important local connection, but drivers should not expect traffic conditions to return to normal.

The 10-ton weight restriction remains in effect until further notice, and county officials are urging motorists to slow down, obey the new stop signs and other traffic controls, and use caution when crossing the single-lane bridge.