The bridge on Hwy. 136 over the Etowah River opened to traffic at 10 a.m. Tuesday, according to a press release from the Georgia Department of Transportation.

The bridge closed Jan. 30 with a detour marked around the closed roadway.

“This project includes .249 miles of construction of the new bridge, and required the roadway to be closed for 180 days while the old bridge was removed and the new one built in its place,” the release reads.

E.R. Snell Contractor, Inc. of Snellville, Georgia was awarded the project in June 2016 and the scheduled completion date was August 31, 2017.

Work began on the bridge replacement in November 2016 in order to allow migratory birds and bat species to be out of the way prior to construction, the release states.

The former bridge was in need of replacement as it was built in 1956 and needed to be updated to current vehicle weight requirements.

The project was expected to cost $2.6 million.