KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Story Courtesy of WVLT) – When Knoxville City Council met Tuesday night, members discussed and approved more than $250,000 in additional funding to ensure the Gay Street Bridge will reopen to pedestrians and bicyclists by the end of the year.
City officials said the latest work being funded includes making safety improvements to the reconfigured approaches on the north and south ends of the bridge. It will also upgrade traffic signalization to be safer and efficiently accommodate vehicles on Hill and Blount avenues and a limited number of bicyclists and pedestrians crossing on the bridge.
The bridge work remains within budget, city officials said.
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This comes after the Tennessee Department of Transportation closed the 127-year-old bridge last summer after inspections revealed a compromised element and other defects.
The City hired Charles Blalock & Sons Inc. to stabilize the bridge, including current work to reconfigure the north end of the bridge where Gay Street and Hill Avenue intersect, officials said. Tuesday night, they were approved to receive an additional $190,000 in funding to work on north- and south-end tie-ins.
The contract with Gresham Smith was also increased by $64,000 for additional study of the Hill Avenue-Gay Street intersection and improved traffic signalization, officials said.
Since the Gay Street Bridge can no longer carry cars and trucks, vehicle turn lanes that are no longer needed have been removed. In their place will be a newly designed bridge entrance at Gay and Hill.
Officials said the intent is to change the character and function of the intersection to more safely accommodate the new circulation patterns of motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists.
The new bridge entrance will be narrowed to 16 feet for designated bike lanes, with increased landscape areas with trees, shrubs and perennial flowers to be planted in the coming weeks by city crews.
Benches with ADA-accessible seating areas will be installed with improved ADA access ramps.
Last month, Knoxville City Council approved a request to apply for a $1 million grant to study long-term options for possibly replacing the Gay Street Bridge with a new bridge that can accommodate the weight of cars.
Previous Coverage: Knoxville City Council approves $1M grant request to study Gay Street Bridge options
The city said the additional funding was necessary to ensure the Gay Street Bridge is reopened to pedestrians and bicyclists by Dec. 31.
