Breaking ground on the Skidaway Island Bridge

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By Lynda Figueredo - bio | email

SKIDAWAY ISLAND, CHATHAM COUNTY, GA (WTOC) - Chatham County commisioners will break ground Friday on a long awaited road improvement project.

The $22 million construction project will begin soon after on the Diamond Causeway also known as the Skidaway Island bridge. The bridge is the only link between Skidaway Island and the mainland.

Georgia Department of Transportation named the nearly 40 year old bridge "structurally deficient" years ago. By July 2013 that will change when a new bridge opens.

"I made it my my top transportation priority," said Chatham County Commission Chairman Pete Liakakis. "I didn't want to see a hurricane come and hit our area and have that drawbridge malfunction again we could lose thousands of lives. Now we will have a high level bridge with 2 lanes, later when money comes we will have four lanes. Then we will have a four lane causeway road that will go up to the big intersection light."

The ground breaking will be held Friday afternoon at 3:00 pm at the Rodney Hall boat ramp.