Capps Ferry Road bridge opened Monday afternoon, giving Douglas County commuters an alternate route to South Fulton County and Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.

This comes as a welcome detour for travelers who normally use Georgia Highway 166 which will remain closed until at least next summer while Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) replaces a damaged bridge across Anneewakee Creek.

It will also mean a reduction of traffic on Chapel Hill Road and Georgia Highway 5, two major north-south corridors being used by Highway 166 travelers to reach open roads into Fulton County.

State bridge inspectors found no structural damage to the Capps Ferry bridge which links southeast Douglas County to South Fulton Parkway, said Randy Hulsey, county Department of Transportation (DOT) director.

He said county workers removed the storm debris which had washed up under the bridge so inspectors could make their examination.

“We got conformation from the state today that the minor damage doesn’t prevent opening,” Hulsey said. “The bridge is safe for traffic.”

GDOT officials announced Friday that the Anneewakee Road bridge will be reopened within 10 days to provide a connection between Chapel Hill Road and Georgia Highway 92.

District 3 Commissioner Mike Mulcare told a Monday Board of Commissioners work session that state crews were at the bridge Sunday and planned to pour concrete Monday, rain or shine.

Meanwhile, surveyors and a drill team were at the Highway 166 bridge last Friday for preliminary work which will lead to the design of a new bridge. Reconstruction costs are estimated at $2-3 million and the bridge could be ready by next summer, Crystal Paulk-Buchanan, GDOT spokesperson, announced Friday.

GDOT closed the bridge on Sept. 21 after flood waters undermined the support beams and washed away part of the roadway approach from the eastern side. After an inspection last Wednesday, GDOT determined that the 52-year-old bridge will have to be replaced instead of repaired.

The bridge carries nearly 9,000 vehicles daily, mainly commuters from Douglas and Carroll counties traveling to jobs, schools and the airport in South Fulton County.