The City of Knoxville's Engineering Department will host a public meeting on the planned replacement of the Holbrook Drive Bridge from 5-7 p.m., Tuesday, March 16 at the First Baptist Church of Fountain City.

The church is located at 2801 Holbrook Drive.

Preliminary plans for the new bridge will be presented at the meeting and there will be an opportunity for public input.

The bridge is a two-lane structure located on Holbrook Drive over Fountain Road. It is being replaced because it has received a poor rating from Tennessee Department of Transportation bridge inspectors and the vertical clearance to the bottom of the bridge from Fountain Road is substandard. The bridge beams have been struck several times by trucks in recent years.

The preliminary plans call for widening the bridge to accommodate sidewalks and bicycle lanes on both sides of the structure.

The anticipated construction cost of the project is $1.4 million and it's expected to take up to seven months to complete the work. Eighty percent of the replacement costs are being paid with federal Highway Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation funding administered by TDOT along with a 20 percent match from the city.

The Holbrook Bridge replacement project could begin as early as this summer or as late as sometime next year.