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 at www.KnoxvilleTN.gov/GayStBridge.

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.