The Mosteller Creek Bridge on Oak Hill Road west of Lyerly is back open with restrictions, but new information from the Georgia Department of Transportation shows a permanent replacement is currently programmed several years down the road.

GDOT lists the Oak Hill Road at Mosteller Creek bridge replacement as Project 0021538 in the state’s Construction Work Program.

Under the current schedule, GDOT has preliminary engineering programmed for 2027 at an estimated cost of $1.2 million. Right-of-way acquisition is programmed for 2029 at $205,000, followed by $100,000 for utility work in 2031.

Construction is currently programmed for 2031 at an estimated cost of $1.52 million.

The timetable is significant because the bridge was closed June 16 after a GDOT inspection identified structural concerns. It reopened earlier this month following additional engineering work commissioned by Chattooga County, but motorists still face a 10-ton weight restriction and single-lane traffic. Stop signs have been installed on both approaches.

Chattooga County Sole Commissioner Andy Allen has said the county is working with GDOT in hopes of getting the permanent replacement moved forward sooner than the date currently shown in the state program.

The bridge has been a concern for years. Allen previously told WZQZ News that it has been on GDOT’s list of bridges needing attention since 2016.

Allen has also said the modular culvert-style replacement recently used for the Spring Creek Road bridge would not work at Mosteller Creek because of the size of the crossing and the amount of water that must pass through it.

Federal bridge inventory information lists the Oak Hill Road bridge as having been built in 1930 and currently rates it in poor condition. The 48-foot steel structure carries roughly 1,000 vehicles per day.

For now, the bridge remains open under the restrictions established by the county while planning continues for its eventual replacement.

Project schedules and cost estimates can change as engineering, right-of-way acquisition and funding decisions move forward.