Monument and bridge. Photo provided.
By Talore Ruedt
DULUTH, Ga. | Rogers Bridge over the Chattahoochee River between Duluth and Johns Creek is now open, after a ribbon cutting last week. The pedestrian bridge connects Duluth’s Rogers Bridge Park to Johns Creek’s Cauley Creek Park. The work was done by the two cities, in partnership with Gwinnett and Fulton counties.
Ruedt
The City of Duluth also unveiled the park’s newest piece of public art, called “The Shape of Time and Water,” a 27 foot tall structure of two massive concrete columns, topped with 110+-year-old steel from the original bridge. The Rogers Bridge Art piece was selected because it incorporates the metal and pins from the original bridge, but it is supported by the concrete foundations used for bridges today.
The completion marks 15 years in the making. In 2006, Gwinnett County commissioned a study of Rogers Bridge to determine its structural integrity. The goal was to repurpose the bridge for pedestrians and in doing so, reconnect the communities on each side of the Chattahoochee River.
In 2014, the City of Duluth took over the project and confirmed the study results. Duluth then applied for a grant from the Atlanta Regional Commission in order to develop construction plans for the bridge. The grant provided $560,000 to the city and required a local match in the amount of $140,000. As the project is of regional significance, Duluth teamed up with the City of Johns Creek and both Fulton and Gwinnett Counties to come up with the $140,000 match. Evenly split, each local partner contributed $35,000 toward what is referred to as the “preconstruction” effort, which culminated in the development of construction plans.
At the time the plans were in their initial stages of development, it was not yet known if the bridge would be rehabilitated or replaced. It was soon found that the existing bridge was eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, because of its unique construction method. The existing bridge was a 228’ long pin-connected Pennsylvania Petit truss. Ultimately, it was agreed that the bridge could not be salvaged as was approved for replacement.
The preconstruction process took about four years to complete. Once again, the city reached out to the Atlanta Regional Commission and the Georgia Department of Transportation to assist with funding of the construction. And again, the four local partners came together, this time to participate with $350,000 each for a local match of $1,400,000. GDOT covered approximately $700,000. And ARC covered the remaining approximate $5,100,000.
The artist behind this piece is Phil Proctor from Nucleus Sculpture Studios. Proctor is a professional sculptor practicing in Atlanta since 2003 who has developed a professional reputation in the public art community by his involvement in the infrastructure of public art.
Phase II Improvements at Rogers Bridge Park will be underway soon. The new bridge will remain open (with possibly temporary brief closures during construction) but park and boat launch access will still be restricted during the construction process. Phase II will include two large parking lots with 118 new spaces, a walking trail, a new pavilion, the trailhead, and the repaving of Rogers Bridge Road as it leads into the park. All is expected to be completed by early 2024.
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