Century-old Norfolk Southern bridge set to be repaired in the coming months

Norfolk Southern

The 100-year-old Cobb Street railroad bridge in Lula, Ga., keeps on slipping in and out of consciousness ... or in this case serviceability.

The span has been closed several times over the last few years, and no vehicle has crossed over it for the past 16 months. In May 2020, Georgia Department of Transportation officials told Norfolk Southern the bridge was structurally deficient and needed to be repaired because it could no longer handle the listed weight limit.

Norfolk Southern has informed Lula officials that it will take a few months to get the necessary materials for the fix, and another one to two months for the repair.

Lula Mayor Jim Grier said he is hopeful the bridge will be open in the next six months.

The span handles more than 400 vehicles a day, but when it is closed motorists are detoured to an at-grade crossing on Athens Street.

The bridge was closed in 2011 and 2015, and in both cases it took over a year to reopen.

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