KENNESAW - Drivers hoping to cross the bridge at Old Highway 41 and Stilesboro Road will have to wait three more months.

The vehicle bridge that passes over the CSX railroad at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park has been closed since August. The Dec. 21 reopening date has been pushed back to March 11 because of the rain this fall.

"We have had an enormous amount of rain, not just the 20 plus inches of rain on Sept. 21, but it has been raining every two to three days since," said county spokesman Robert Quigley. "The ground has just been too wet to effectively or safely work on the bridge around the active railroad."

The bridge was originally closed to traffic on July 20, but it reopened on Aug. 3 after a CSX issue delayed demolition of the 27-foot-wide bridge. It then closed again in late August.

The county is widening the bridge and adding sidewalks due to safety concerns.

David Montanye, director of Cobb's department of transportation, said the new concrete bridge will be 48 feet wide. There will be two 14-foot travel lanes with 10-foot sidewalks on each side. The new bridge will ultimately be part of a new trail in that area.

Stan Bond, park superintendent at Kennesaw Mountain, said the bridge would be a major safety improvement. Park officials have recognized for years the hazards of pedestrians trying to cross the bridge with no sidewalk and little room for them to walk across.

An average of 9,020 cars crossed the bridge each day while it was in operation.

Vehicles heading south on Old Highway 41 are being detoured to Barrett Parkway or Ridenour Road, while northbound traffic is being sent to Stilesboro Road.

The $1.6 million bridge project is being paid for through the special purpose local option sales tax. Bob Galante, Cobb County Department of Transportation engineering division manager, said the delays will not affect the cost of the project, as the contractor is paid for completed work and not by the hour.