CUMMING, Ga. — Construction continues near the Cumming Fairgrounds, but the moment we’ve all been waiting for is just around the corner.
“We’re putting a pedestrian bridge from the fairground parking lot over to the fairgrounds,” Cumming Mayor Troy Brumbalow said. “This is something that we, well over a year ago, got started on the design work and the bid process and all that, so we're finally getting to put it in.”
He says there’s been a problem in that area with people crossing Castleberry Road for events and traffic getting backed up. It’s also a dangerous area, because of all the traffic.
“With people watching their phones while they're driving, that was just a fear that someone was going to get hit eventually,” Brumbalow said. “Plus, it will help traffic tremendously, especially during the fair because it's such a madhouse. That will make that a lot safer.”
The construction projects took place on either side of Castleberry, until Monday when part of the road was closed in preparation for the bridge.
“The bridge weighs almost 90,000 lbs. so they've got two huge cranes,” Brumbalow said. “They've got to strap the bridge up and pick it up and get it over in place, then re-setup and move the cranes. Then, they actually raise it up and set it in place. It's got pockets on each end that it will bolt down to.”
After the bridge is in place, concrete will be poured, electric lines will be run, and landscaping will take place.
“On each end of the pedestrian walk, we've got an ADA pass, a big loop to go from the parking lot up to the bridge,” Brumbalow said. “So that will happen in the coming days.”
He says there’s still more work to be done, but this is the home stretch.
“It will be done by the fair. That's the important part,” Brumbalow said. “October 3rd, so we’ll definitely be open and ready to go by the fair.”
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