Rogers descendants, who grew up near the bridge, view it one last time at the March 29, 2021 ground breaking ceremony for the replacement pedestrian bridge.

Historic bridge as it is lifted to the ground
photographed Oct. 11, 2001
photo credit: City of Duluth, GA

Steel salvage from the historic Rogers Bridge
Steel salvage from the dismantled historic Rogers Bridge piled on the Johns Creek side of the river

Rogers Bridge Artwork Selected

October 2022: Large public art piece announced for the Johns Creek side of the Chattahoochee River utilizing the historic Rogers Bridge steel salvage.

Artist Ilan Averbuch's proposed sculpture "The Bridge" is utilizing salvaged steel from the historic Rogers Bridge and reclaimed granite blocks. This large public art piece will be situated near the Johns Creek side of the Chattahoochee River close to the location of the old bridge and the earlier Rogers Ferry.

On each side, pieces of the old steel abstractly represent people supporting the granite arch, a symbolic connection to each other and the river throughout this area's history.

Honoring the importance of the bridge by re-purposing its steel for public art.

Once it was clear the historic Rogers Bridge would be replaced with a new structure, the Johns Creek Historical Society has been an active advocate of saving the bridge steel to create public art. The historic Rogers Bridge is the last of a remarkable 6 steel truss bridges that once spanned the Chattahoochee River in the footprint of today's City of Johns Creek, GA.

Understanding the importance of the bridge and its history, $200,000 funding was made available for one large and a couple smaller artworks when the Fulton County Commissioners budgeted $150,000, thanks to Commissioner Liz Hausmann, and the Johns Creek City Council approved the JCCVB recommendation to allocate $50,000 of hotel/motel tax to the project.

Artist selection. The Fulton County department of Arts&Culture, with deep experience in public art, is managing the artist selection and commission process. After a call for artists was announced and applications considered, the top candidates made a July 11th site visit to see the steel available, potential artwork locations, and to hear a presentation of the history of the bridge and its surroundings. Those artists made their proposals mid-August to the selection panel, with the selection of the artist's design approved by the Fulton County Commission and the Johns Creek City Council.

Read more about the artist and artwork selected. Johns Creek Herald Meet the New York sculptor turning Rogers Bridge steel into a 34-foot statue. Chamian Cruz, Johns Creek Herald. October 12, 2022