Portions of Mineral Springs Avenue will be closed for one year starting in September, when work to replace the 109-year-old bridge above First Creek will begin.

The nearly $1.2 million project in North Knoxville also includes a new sidewalk connection from North Broadway to Walker Boulevard along Mineral Springs Avenue. 

A new 68-foot-long concrete bridge will replace the existing 52-foot-long concrete bridge built in 1910.

 “Bridge designers worked to match the appearance of the existing bridge while increasing the opening underneath the roadway to reduce flooding along First Creek,” said Jim Hagerman, City Director of Engineering.

“The bridge design will also include a crash-tested bridge rail approved by the Tennessee Department of Transportation.”

Approximately 350 linear feet of a new 10-foot-wide greenway connector will also be built on the south side of Mineral Springs Avenue between North Broadway and Walker Boulevard.

TDOT inspects all 97 City-owned bridges on a two-year cycle. Based on TDOT bridge inspection reports, the City selected the Mineral Springs Avenue Bridge for replacement. TDOT last inspected the bridge in 2018.

Mineral Springs Avenue will be closed from North Broadway to Walker Boulevard for one year beginning this September. 

Traffic will be detoured on Walker Boulevard and North Broadway during construction, and signs will also be posted. Access will be maintained to adjacent businesses. Area businesses and Knoxville Area Transit have also been informed of the project. 

Contractor work crews are expected to begin demolition of the bridge in September. The project is expected to be completed in September 2020.

Contractor for the project is Jones Bros. Contractors, LLC. Engineering designer is Alfred Benesch & Company, Inc.