The bridge is being built on State Route 33 in Union County and the project is currently more than a third of the way complete. Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) awarded Mountain States Contractors the US$22.4 million contract in November 2009, and work was originally scheduled to be complete at the end of next month.
The new structure is being built next to the existing Veteran's Memorial Bridge.
The bridge in May 2011
Changes to the project's original designs for the bridge footings proved necessary due to the geological conditions at the bottom of the river. “While the initial design was constructible, enough concern was raised in regard to the possibility of undermining the existing bridge footings that both TDOT and the contractor determined that a change to a drilled shaft foundation would eliminate any risk that would have been present with the blasting required by the original design,” said TDOT spokesman Mark Nagi.
The extent of the change and the cost increase – approximately US$7.5 million – meant that the best plan of action was identified as cancelling the contract and competitively bidding the remaining work.
