Construction on the U.S. 378 bridge linking McCormick with Lincolnton, Ga., is on hold while officials study cracks along the foundation of the structure at the bottom of Lake Thurmond.

Part of the foundation lies beneath 80 feet of water, and anchors support columns that rise above the water. Georgia Department of Transportation spokesman David Spear told the Index-Journal of Greenwood that the cracks likely formed as a result of temperature differences between the water surrounding the foundation and within the concrete foundation itself.

Spear says he hopes the study will be done sometime in July. The $22.4 million project is contracted to Scott Bridge Co., of Opelika, Ala., and was initially scheduled to be finished by the end of this month.

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Tags: Lake Thurmond, Lincolnton, U.S. 378 bridge, cracks