The

pedestrian/golf cart bridge over Ga. Highway 54 near

Willowbend Road has been closed due to structural

problems that were discovered earlier this month.

A citizen's

complaint of movement on the bridge May 17 led to an

inspection that day, said Peachtree City Engineer Troy

Besseche. After the inspection, the bridge was closed for

safety concerns, he added.

"We

don't want to take any chances," Besseche said.

The

inspection revealed that the approach spans (the first

parts of the bridge on either end) were sagging, Besseche

said. That structure flaw is believed to have caused the

vibrations.

People are

advised to use an alternate route of a temporary cart

path that runs parallel to Northlake Drive and Willowbend

Road, but it requires pedestrians to cross two lanes of

traffic at the Hwy. 54 traffic light.

The city

may perform temporary repairs to shore up the problem so

the bridge can be reopened. There is also a chance the

Hwy. 54 intersection might be modified to accommodate the

traffic from the cart paths, Besseche said.

"We

realize this is an inconvenience for people to park at

the signal," Besseche said.

Two weeks

ago, the city ordered the "parts" that need to

be replaced on the bridge, which are the approach spans

to the south and north ends of the bridge. The

estimated cost of the new bridge spans is $85,000.

There are

no structural problems with the steel center span, which

hangs directly over the highway and was replaced in 1997,

Besseche said. The original bridge was constructed in the

1970s and may not have been built with treated lumber,

the engineer added.

The new

approach spans will also be constructed of steel to match

the sturdiness of the center steel span. They will

differ, however, because they were not designed to have a

covered roof like the one used for the center span of the

bridge.