Oak Hill Road Bridge Closure: Will Small Cars Be Allowed Back Across While Repairs Are Sorted Out?

The Oak Hill Road bridge near Lyerly Elementary School has been closed since state inspectors flagged safety concerns last month, and now county leaders are scrambling to find a way to let smaller passenger vehicles back across while a permanent fix is worked out.

Chattooga County Sole Commissioner Andy Allen said the county is in active talks with state representatives and engineers to determine whether the bridge can be reopened, at least to lighter vehicles, while a full replacement is planned.

Allen met with state officials and engineers at the bridge site last week to walk through possible options.

“We are hiring a private engineer to evaluate the bridge,” Allen said.

If that independent review finds the bridge can safely hold somewhere between 5 and 10 tons, Allen said the state would allow passenger cars back on while replacement plans move forward.

The sudden closure has cut off a key route between the Town of Lyerly and the City of Menlo — a road relied on heavily by agricultural operations, school traffic, and workers commuting into Chattooga County.

State inspectors examined the bridge on June 2 and told county officials soon after that it needed to close immediately.

“We can’t leave it closed that long,” Allen said. “We are talking with the state about moving it up on the state’s local bridge replacement program.”

The bridge had been slated for replacement in 2031, but Allen said that timeline no longer makes sense given how critical the bridge is to the community.

Allen said the inspection has not yet been completed, and once it is, the county plans to get the findings out to the public quickly.

“As soon as we get the engineers’ report back, I’ll be sending out an all-media release,” Allen said, adding that it may still be a little while before that happens since the inspection itself hasn’t been finished yet.