Georgia – The Georgia Department of Transportation is moving on with early outreach for a major coastal infrastructure project, announcing plans to host a virtual industry roundtable focused on the State Route 25 Darien River Bridge replacement in McIntosh County. The event is meant to help contractors and other industry partners better understand the project before the formal bidding process begins.
The project, known as P.I. No. 0013599, is for the US 17/SR 25/SR 99/North Walton Street corridor at the Darien River crossing. Georgia DOT wants to build a new bridge that meets current criteria to replace the old one. The new bridge will be bigger and have a higher profile, which is in line with new design and safety standards for a busy coastal route.
The industry forum will be held on Thursday, January 15, 2026, and it will be an online presentation that has already been recorded. Georgia DOT officials will talk about the proposed scope of work, the expected timeline for getting the work done, and the main risks that come with the Design-Build delivery process. The forum is meant to enable those who want to bid on the project better understand what is expected of them and how complicated the project is before they send in their qualifications or proposals.
Read also: $72 million in new Georgia road projects approved in November as DOT ramps up infrastructure push
People who want to take part are highly encouraged to sign up ahead of time. People who do will get an email with a link to the presentation on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at 8 a.m. Eastern Time. Georgia DOT has said that preregistration will also help with transparency by letting those who are going to the event meet each other before the procurement process starts.
The Georgia DOT Design-Build web page will make the taped presentation available to the public within 24 hours after the forum. The department will also post a copy of the presentation materials and a list of registered attendees, together with their contact information, to help people in the business work together and share information.
Read also: Georgia AG charges Woodstock couple with years-long Medicaid fraud scheme
Georgia DOT will provide private one-on-one discussions on January 15 in addition to the group forum. Companies will be able to attend these sessions in person or through Microsoft Teams. This will provide them a chance to ask project-specific questions or talk about their problems with department representatives in a private setting.
Read also: Gov. Kemp taps David Burge to lead Georgia Department of Revenue amid tax court overhaul
The Georgia Procurement Registry has a Public Notice of Advertisement that has further information on the project and how to get it. Georgia DOT has also sent interested companies to its Design-Build program webpage, where they may find more general information about how comparable projects are done in other parts of the state.
Read also: Atlanta ditches single-site Peach Drop for citywide New Year’s fireworks and drone spectacle
The next discussion is the first step in what is expected to be a big investment in coastal Georgia’s infrastructure. The department is working to renovate a critical river crossing and get the construction industry involved early on.
For additional information refer to the Public Notice of Advertisement (PNA) located on the Georgia Procurement Registry (GPR).
More about Georgia DOT Design-Build projects can be found here:Â https://www.dot.ga.gov/GDOT/pages/DesignBuild.aspx.