The engineering firm and contractor that are working on the Lyerly Dam bridge are concerned about pedestrians that are trying to cross the bridge while work is going on to repair it. 

 According to supervisors with J.B. Trimble, the firm that is doing the repair at the bridge, pedestrians have been asked not to use the bridge while the work is in progress.   In fact officials with the company say that while the contractor is doing their best to keep pedestrians off the bridge, they may need assistance from the county because it appears that caution tape and barriers are “not sufficient in deterring pedestrians from trying to cross the bridge.” 

Due to the deterioration of the bolts on the bridge, removal has slowed quite a bit as the contractor is only removing one bolt at a time. The exception to the single bolt removal is at the joints with web plates. To remove the bolts in the web plate the adjacent bolt in the gusset plate needs to be removed because of the size of the socket.   

Chattooga County Public Works Director Lamar Canada says that work is progressing on schedule.