Mayor Bill Haslam and City Council members cut a ribbon Friday to reopen five months ahead of schedule the Gay Street viaduct that spans Jackson and Depot Avenues in downtown Knoxville. "Work on the viaduct will continue for some time, but we felt that getting it open to traffic as soon as possible was important," Mayor Haslam said. "I appreciate the hard work of everyone involved to get traffic back to normal as soon as possible for the businesses and residents of this area."
The original viaduct, built in 1919, was demolished last November after federal inspectors rated the structure in poor condition.
While the bridge is open to traffic, work continues - including the installation of light poles - and the parking spaces have not been reestablished.
The City of Knoxville is paying 20 percent of the $4.8 million project, with federal funds administered by the Tennessee Department of Transportation paying for the remainder.
TDOT is serving as project manager; Gresham, Smith & Partners as project manager for utilities; and Mountain States Contractors as general contractor.
 
KAT buses will continue their detours for the next several weeks. Work on the bridge is expected to be completed in May 2007.