Gay Street Bridge Will Remain Closed for Further Assessments
The Tennessee Department of Transportation has completed its thorough inspection of the Gay Street Bridge, recommending that the bridge remain closed to all traffic until further studies can be done on the 126-year-old span.
“This is not the news we all hoped for,” said Mayor Indya Kincannon, “but, we agree with the recommendation, as safety must be our number one priority.
“We know this closure is an inconvenience for many. That is why we are working as quickly as possible to conduct further assessments to determine the cost and time of repairs. Rest assured, if there are interim measures which would allow us to safely reopen the bridge to pedestrians while the repairs are being made, we will do so.”
TDOT engineers have stressed that with this type of truss bridge, there is no redundancy in the structure to pick up the load if an element were to fail. As a result, the City is working closely with TDOT and hiring an engineering consultant to develop a plan to make necessary repairs.
The City will not have a cost estimate for the repairs or an estimated construction timeline until the consultant’s recommendations are complete.
TDOT’s inspection reports can be found in the
Bridge Reports section below.
A routine TDOT inspection of the Gay Street Bridge revealed the deficiencies in late June, which prompted a complete closure of the bridge to vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
The 1,512-foot-long bridge, built in 1898, is the oldest spanning the Tennessee River in Knoxville. Its components include five pin-connected steel arched cantilever trusses and two truss approach spans on granite foundations.
• Gay Street Bridge Report Summary - 06/26/24 [PDF]
• Gay Street Bridge Inspection Report - 06/26/24 [PDF] (108MB)
• Gay Street Bridge Inspection Report - 06/26/24 [PDF] (Compressed - 24MB)
| HISTORY OF GAY STREET BRIDGE |
1898
Built in 1898 and opening on July 4th, the 1,512-foot-long arched cantilever steel bridge is the oldest bridge spanning the Tennessee River in Knoxville.
According to the
Tennessee's Survey Report for Historic Highway Bridges, the building cost for the Gay Street Bridge reached $233,000. You can find more interesting facts about the bridge in
Chapter 6, pages 384-386 of the survey report.
A view of the Gay Street Bridge in 1910 (Calvin M. McClung Digital Collection)
Charles E. Fowler, with the Youngstown Bridge Co., designed the steel bridge. Knox County originally proposed a stone arch bridge but realized the cost would exceed their estimates.
A copy of the original Gay Street Bridge design by C.E. Fowler
2004
With funds through the Highway Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program, TDOT, in cooperation with the City of Knoxville and the Federal Highway Administration, rehabilitated the Gay Street Bridge from 2001-2004. The improvement project cost $15.7 M.
The bridge
reopened in April of 2004.
From 2004 until now, the
bridge had passed each inspection, and no closures had been required due to safety maintenance.
2024
A routine Tennessee Department of Transportation inspection of the Gay Street Bridge on June 25, 2024, revealed a compromised element, which out of an abundance of caution has led to a complete closure of the bridge to vehicular and pedestrian traffic.