Closure Dates for Silver Comet Trail Pedestrian Bridges Slated for Winter Repair

Five pedestrian bridges along Cobb County's 12.8-mile Silver Comet Trail will be temporarily closed to the public this winter while Cobb County Department of Transportation (CCDOT) crews repair or replace bridge ends over Cooper Lake Bridge, Olley Creek Bridge, Noses Creek Bridge, Lucille Creek Bridge and Powder Springs Creek Bridge.

The repair work, funded by the 2011 SPLOST, will result in consecutive closures of each pedestrian bridge through April 2014, resulting in no access and no detours across the bridges during construction. At the same time the pedestrian bridge work is being conducted, additional crews will be improving other areas along the Silver Comet Trail by repairing fences, drainage systems and grading. 

The closure schedule is weather-dependent and is as follows:

Silver Comet Bridge                   Mile Markers                            Dates

Cooper Lake Bridge                       0.0 – 1.2                       Jan. 20 – Feb. 16
Olley Creek Bridge                        6.3 – 7.3                           Feb. 10 – 21
Noses Creek Bridge                       8.3 – 8.7                     Feb. 17 – March 21
Lucille Creek Bridge             10.5 – 11.2 (Phase 1)             March 17 – 28
The full Silver Comet Trail will be open to cyclists and pedestrians during the entire week of the Cobb County Schools Spring break from Fri. p.m., March 29 – Mon. a.m., April 7.
Lucille Creek Bridge             10.5 – 11.2 (Phase 2)               April 7 – 20
Powder Springs Creek Bridge       11.6 – 12.3                       April 14 – 25

Cobb County officials strongly advise the public to pay close attention to all warning signs and stay out of closed construction zones, as there will be severe drop offs, some as deep as ten feet, which could cause serious injury or death to anyone ignoring the posted warnings.  

Not every area under construction will be completely closed off to the public. CCDOT officials warn trail users to slow down when approaching all construction areas, including all areas not completely closed. Bike users should be prepared to dismount and walk through.

More work will be conducted on the trail in the spring when the entire Silver Comet Trail is resurfaced. The combined projects will result in the Cobb County Silver Comet Trail looking like a new trail. 

The 61.5-mile Silver Comet Trail follows the abandoned railroad line once traveled by Silver Comet train passengers traveling from Atlanta and Birmingham to New York, Philadelphia and Washington.  CCDOT converted the trail into a scenic 12.8-mile paved multi-use trail in the 1990s. The County section of the trail begins in Smyrna and travels west through southern parts of the County.