Chattanooga's South Crest bridge to close for repairs

photo Location of South Crest Road bridge on Missionary Ridge in Chattanooga.
photo The South Crest Road bridge spans Interstate 24 atop Missionary Ridge.

The South Crest Road bridge will close Wednesday and remain closed for 10 months while the Tennessee Department of Transportation completes repairs.

The tall bridge spans Interstate 24 and East Main Street and connects the southern half of Missionary Ridge to the northern half. The repair job -- which will cost $1.6 million -- will replace the entire bridge deck, parapets and joints, according to TDOT.

Because of the way the bridge was built, there's no way to keep the bridge open during the repairs. East Main Street also will be closed during the first phase of the project, but should reopen in spring 2015.

Additionally, some lanes of I-24 will need to be closed at various points during the project, according to TDOT. The lane closures will only happen between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., TDOT said.

About 943 cars actually cross the bridge every day, said Heather Jensen, TDOT spokeswoman, and about 106,000 cars pass under the South Crest Road bridge on I-24 every day.

"So [the bridge] is not too heavily traveled but enough that people will notice if we shut it down," she said.

TDOT inspects all bridges every two years, and after the South Crest Road bridge's last inspection it was scheduled for immediate repairs because of the poor state of the concrete deck, Jensen said.

Ron Morris, vice president of the Missionary Ridge Neighborhood Association, said many people use the South Crest Road bridge.

"I'm sure that's going to be a problem for everybody from that spot," he said. "I see a lot of walkers on that bridge. It's going to change the traffic pattern a little bit."

The detours will take drivers a few miles out of their way and likely will increase traffic on some already overtaxed and narrow roads, Morris said. But, he added, he's glad to see the repairs getting done.

The closure of the bridge will not affect how quickly emergency responders can get to the area, said Bruce Garner, spokesman for the Chattanooga Fire Department.

Four stations will have access to the neighborhood, even without the bridge.

Contact staff writer Shelly Bradbury at 423-757-6525 or sbradbury@timesfreepress.com with tips or story ideas.

Upcoming Events