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Sidney Lanier Bridge in Brunswick reopens Friday

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BRUNSWICK, Ga. – The Georgia Department of Transportation announced Friday the reopening of the Sidney Lanier Bridge after Hurricane Ian skirted the coast but left no major damage in Southeast Georgia.

A state of emergency went into effect at 7 a.m. Thursday for all 159 of Georgia’s counties, making state resources available to local governments and entities within the hurricane impact area.

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Crews were staged and prepared to address residual damage from the hurricane as soon as weather conditions cleared. Bridge inspection teams were deployed immediately after the storm had passed to inspect the Sidney Lanier Bridge to ensure it was safe to reopen Friday morning.

Individuals who evacuated from the storm are encouraged to drive safely and be mindful of current conditions as they start their journey home.

All lane closure restrictions put in place on Interstates 75, 16, and 95 will be lifted Friday and construction partners will be allowed to return to work beginning Saturday, Oct. 1.

All rest areas and Welcome Centers that were converted to 24/7 operations in South and Coastal Georgia will resume normal operating hours Friday.

The South Metro Express Lanes will return to normal operations Friday as well. The Georgia Express Lanes system does accept Florida SunPass and North Carolina Quick Pass.

Although Hurricane Ian had no major impacts on the state, Georgia DOT worked hand-in-hand with its counterparts from the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS) and the Georgia State Patrol among others to prepare for the storm and were ready to react should Ian have brought the type of devastation to Georgia that it wreaked on Florida, transportation officials said.