After more than two years on the drawing board, construction is expected to begin on the Greenville Street Bridge in spring 2018.

The bridge was deemed unsafe for traffic following heavy rain two years ago, but because the bridge is controlled by the Georgia Department of Transportation, its repairs or replacement had to be approved through GDOT.

“That was a state highway, and it was not like the bridge that we had over near Jefferson Street,” Council member Willie Edmondson said. “It was state, and there is only so much that we can do on state.”

The city will be responsible for the maintenance of the bridge once it is completed, but GDOT will be over the actual construction and will cover the construction cost. The bridge is estimated to cost around $2 million to construct.

“The delay has been DOT and the railroad negotiating terms,” Mayor Jim Thornton said. “They have apparently come to terms, so now they are able to proceed, and essentially what it sounds like to me is DOT is saying they are going to build the bridge for us, and then basically give it to us and expect us to deal with it in the future.”

The LaGrange City Council is scheduled to meet again on Tuesday, Jan. 9 at 5:30 p.m. at 208 Ridley Avenue.