ATLANTA - The Texas Department of Transportation has opened a new bridge on State Highway 8, crossing Wright Patman Lake between Bowie and Cass counties.

"The width of the old bridges was not up to our current standards for a highway like SH 8," said Texarkana Area Engineer Tommy Bruce. "Our new bridge is going to be 44-feet wide, which includes two, 12-foot lanes with 10-foot shoulders on each side. The previous bridges were 26-feet wide."

The new structure replaces two smaller bridges that were built back in the 1950's.

"We're so proud to open this new bridge that is longer, taller and wider than the former bridges," said Atlanta District Engineer Rebecca Wells. "Our ribbon cutting ceremony is a celebration of new infrastructure that is safer for the traveling public."

The contractor for the $37.7 million project is Longview Bridge and Road.

"What we have left to do is remove the existing roadway and the two existing bridge structures," said Longview Bridge and Road President Casey Johnson. "There's a little bit of tie-in work as far as the concrete paving on either end of the bridge at the approaches and several cubic yards of rock riprap to put in for slope protection. And, that will pretty well complete the project."

Members of the community along with officials from both counties joined in the ribbon cutting ceremony, which was held on the old roadway with the new bridge in the background.

"I know I'm excited to drive on the new bridge and I know that people who drive this route everyday are," Bruce said.