Undersized and older bridges in Johns Creek are forcing the Fire Department to reroute trucks, adding distance and increasing response times.
“A fire can really get going in a minute or two, which puts everyone at risk, citizens and firefighters,” said Fire Chief Joey Daniels. “When we respond to a fire, there’s a lot of things we need to do in a hurry.”
Four bridges have been identified as potential problems, all on key routes: two on Medlock Bridge Road; one on Parsons Road; and one on Bell Road. Daniels couldn’t say how much longer it takes to reach particular areas. The Fire Department is tracking response times, he said.
The new policy was enacted about a week ago after Daniels and the city Public Works Department queried the state Department of Transportation.
“I had concerns about the safety of our trucks traveling over these bridges,” Daniels said.
“You don’t want to take a heavy apparatus over a bridge and have it collapse.”
The bridges can handle between 15 tons and 30 tons. A fire engine weighs 17.5 tons, and a ladder truck weighs 40 tons.
Bolstering and repairing each bridge would cost $2 million to $3 million each, and Johns Creek doesn’t have the cash, said Public Works Director Ken Hildebrandt. He said the city could try for some federal stimulus money.
Fire officials in Gwinnett, DeKalb and Cobb counties said their bridges can support their vehicles.
“That’s one advantage to being a newly developing county,” said Gwinnett Fire Chief Steve Rolader.
Labels: bridges, city of johns creek, fire trucks, Georgia
# posted by
Brian Vanderhoff @ 8:45 AM
