Georgia DOT's U.S. 17/State Route 404 Spur Bridge Major Maintenance Project supports the growing Port of Savannah, enhancing access for larger ships. With a planned investment of $189 million, the project aims to extend the lifespan of the bridge, raise the bridge profile for increased vertical clearance and accommodate the port's expansion. The initiative is part of a long-term strategy for maintaining regional connectivity and economic growth.
Georgia DOT photo
The U.S. 17/State Route 404 Spur Bridge at the Port of Savannah will be repaired and its deck raised in 2026.
The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is undertaking a substantial investment with its U.S. 17/State Route 404 Spur Bridge Major Maintenance Project, which is upgrading a key bridge spanning the Savannah River to extend its lifespan, as well as allow more efficient access to the Port of Savannah.
Led by Georgia DOT's P3 Division, this first-of-its-kind project for the state is being delivered through a Construction Management/General Contractor (CM/GC) approach. In late December 2023, the agency awarded its first-ever CM/GC contract to Kiewit Infrastructure South Co.
The project will replace the existing cables, bridge bearings and joints as part of planned maintenance for the cable-stayed bridge, as well as raise the bridge profile to obtain additional vertical clearance within the shipping channel.
The bridge's original design allowed for the replacement of the cables as a standard maintenance practice.
The CM/GC team will work with GDOT and the designer of record (DOR), Parsons Transportation Group, which was awarded the contract in August 2023 to determine the approach to performing the required bridge maintenance and cable replacements.
The $189 million programmed investment covers all services for delivery, including project oversight, design, environmental clearance, material acquisition and construction. Preconstruction services began in the first quarter of 2024, and collaboration between the DOR and CM/GC is ongoing as Georgia DOT prepares for construction in early 2026.
As the construction manager, Kiewit is providing preconstruction insight into the means and methods required to complete the work.
Once the project enters the construction phase, the CM/GC team responsibilities shift to that of a general contractor, which entails constructing the project, providing resources to execute the work efficiently and collaborating to resolve issues and manage stakeholder coordination.
As the nation's fastest-growing port, according to the Georgia Port Authority, the Port of Savannah is a significant economic engine for the Savannah region, Georgia and the nation.
Potentially stifling future growth, however, is the port's accessibility for larger ships. Those ships, which are becoming increasingly common on the world's oceans, are limited by the existing 185-foot clearance of the U.S. 17/SR 404 Spur Bridge.
"The Port of Savannah is the largest and fastest-growing single-container terminal in North America," said Kyle Collins, a GDOT communications program manager. "Annually, Georgia's deepwater ports support more than 600,000 jobs and $170 billion to the state's economy. In order for our state to remain competitive and continue to advance transportation infrastructure, the department has a variety of innovative mobility solutions ongoing with this major maintenance project and concurrent long-term replacement concept development, so that Georgia remains a top state for business without compromising regional connectivity."
The current cable-stay U.S. 17/SR 404 Spur Bridge (Talmadge Bridge), which is 8,852 ft. long and two lanes in each direction, was designed and constructed in the late 1980s; it opened to traffic in 1991. It handles an average of 22,000 vehicles daily, with nearly 20 percent being trucks moving between Georgia and South Carolina.
The proposed major maintenance bridge project activities would raise the center portion of the bridge deck between the expansion joints in a two-phased approach.
Phase one will include cable replacement as the original design of the bridge considered the potential for one-by-one cable replacement under traffic. The replacement cables will have the ability to be shortened (or tightened) with jacks that accommodate the proper length and force to continue to safely support the bridge.
Phase Two is based on raising the bridge. Once the cables have been replaced and adjusted, the CM/GC team will begin the process of further shortening the cables in a carefully engineered and controlled process to revise the bridge's profile. The cables at the north and south ends of the bridge will get minimal adjustments, whereas the cables nearest the center of the river will be adjusted the most.
Ongoing engineering design includes calculating the incremental shortening of each cable and the adjustment sequence to prevent the overloading of any bridge component during the raising operation. While the work is being performed, the force in the cables and the bridge's profile will be carefully monitored.
"The incremental changes will barely be noticed while the work is being performed," Collins said. "It will be like watching grass grow. After the lawn is mown, the grass continues to grow and, during the first few days, this growth isn't noticeable. But after a week or so, you can tell there has been a change. Over time, the bridge will be raised and motorists and, indirectly, shipping vessels navigating under the bridge, will see the change."
Asked whether the construction would impact port operations, Collins said, "There are no significant impacts expected for port operations outside of normal coordination to access some of the bridge piers."
The project is considered an interim solution: Georgia DOT has a concurrent long-term replacement effort known as the U.S. 17/SR 404 Spur Bridge at Savannah River Crossing Project in concept development. The Georgia Ports Authority, a state authority, funded the 2022 Savannah River Crossing Feasibility Study that evaluated future, long-term options to replace the bridge.
As part of the study, 27 potential alternatives in six categories were identified and analyzed. Two alternatives — a tunnel and a new bridge in the same location — were identified as feasible for further development.
GDOT is in the early project development and environmental processes for the long-term replacement plans. The agency hosted an initial round of public comment with an open house in summer 2024 and recently launched a second public comment period running through March 27 on the two proposed concept tracks.
(All photos courtesy of the Georgia Department of Transportation.)
Irwin Rapoport
A journalist who started his career at a weekly community newspaper, Irwin Rapoport has written about construction and architecture for more than 15 years, as well as a variety of other subjects, such as recycling, environmental issues, business supply chains, property development, pulp and paper, agriculture, solar power and energy, and education. Getting the story right and illustrating the hard work and professionalism that goes into completing road, bridge, and building projects is important to him. A key element of his construction articles is to provide readers with an opportunity to see how general contractors and departments of transportation complete their projects and address challenges so that lessons learned can be shared with a wider audience.
Rapoport has a BA in History and a Minor in Political Science from Concordia University. His hobbies include hiking, birding, cycling, reading, going to concerts and plays, hanging out with friends and family, and architecture. He is keen to one day write an MA thesis on military and economic planning by the Great Powers prior to the start of the First World War.
Read more from Irwin Rapoport here.
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