Bridge Closure Could Affect Emergency Services

Big improvements for one local community could mean big problems for folks who use the coastal highway

Starting May 3rd, Highway 25 in Port Wentworth between Crossgate and Bonnie Bridge road will be closed as the bridge is completely rebuilt.

The bridges will be widened and lifted to help accommodate the increase in 18 wheeler traffic in the area.

While it will be a traffic mess, folks who live in the area feel it could also be dangerous.

For folks in Port Wentworth the sound of a train passing by is nothing new...

In the next few weeks, this could be a major issue for folks who live near Bonnybridge road.

That's because the bridge over Highway 25 will be closed for the next 8 months. The same bridge which is the most direct route for fire and ambulances to get to folks on the other side.

When a train goes by, the only other two routes will be blocked too.

"It would be a problem for me because i'd be thinking about my safety, safety of my school, my kids, everything," said Joe Johnson, who lives in Port Wentworth.

"No one thinks it's a big problem until someone gets injured when there's a disaster," explains Port Wentworth Mayor Pro-Tem Vincent Hogan.

Vincent Hogan says the bridge closure could cost emergency personnel as much as 15 vital minutes if something happens.

"It basically would a horseshoe they'd have to come down 21 to Bonnybridge," explained Hogan.

That's why the Mayor and council are working together to find a solution, a solution about a mile away at Fire station #2.

Right now its just a garage for fire trucks. A firefighter only stationed there during the day.. But the city plans on adding barracks soon, saving valuable seconds.

"When you are talking about fire, seconds mean lives," said Hogan.

And a mutual aid plan with Savannah, Pooler and Bloomingdale will help. So all the cities can work together to keep folks safe.

"We're all going to have to bite the bullet pray to god there's no situations in the meantime," said Hogan. "Anybody's life is in danger. But this is progress and what happens in the government."

According to Port Wentworth Mayor Glen Jones, the city had a meeting with Georgia Ports Authority and Norfolk Southern Railroad on Wednesday, where they came up with even more solutions.

Now, in case of an emergency, fire or police officials will have direct contact with the railroad tower and the train operators to stop the train and leave a hole so the road will be open for emergency cars and trucks.

While building barracks will take some time, the mayor says he will look into the possibility of a temporary trailer placed at firehouse number 2 so firefighters can be there 24 hours a day.