WMBB News 13 - The Panhandle's News LeaderHathaway Bridge Repairs Continue

Construction crews are one step closer to finishing much needed repairs to the Hathaway Bridge.

But there's more than just construction that the Department of Transportation is concerned with.

After last week's fatal accident, the DOT did an inspection and determined their route and detour were sound but safety remains a concern for both officials and drivers.

Melissa smith hauls precious cargo. She is a nanny for two Bay County families. She says traveling her route across the Hathaway Bridge hasn't been easy. "It's very frustrating when I'm trying to get back and forth to pick up the little ones."

So after a fatal accident on the bridge, Smith began to worry. "It gives me goose bumps. I think about it all the time."

But Ian Satter with the Florida D.O.T. says they don't ignore accidents. "We look at our work zone itself at the detour route, our maintenance of traffic, how we're detouring traffic, how we have our cones set up."

Workers labor constantly to finish much needed joint repairs to one section of the bridge. But waiting for concrete to dry takes time; Satter says the concrete will set over the next few days. The outer portion of the bridge was just poured. We hope that sets over the weekend and then we can finish the rest of the construction."

The way the bridge is set up, this part is actually hollow. It's like a cave and big enough for a grown man to walk through. There are newly installed traffic sensors in there, utility lines and even water lines. As you walk outwards on the bridge, that part isn't hollow. It's called the wings. If you remove the concrete from the wings, you could see straight down to the water.

As drivers continue to travel over the bridge they hope the project will end before Bay County's busiest season.

The D.O.T. says as of Friday every step is on schedule.

Next week the barrier walls will be poured and replaced with just a couple of weeks left until spring break.