South Crest Road Bridge work nears completion

Taylor Voiles puts form oil on the steel forms to keep concrete from sticking to them as they are poured. The bridge over Interstate 24 on Missionary Ridge is nearing completion. More than 1,000-yards of concrete has been poured and the approaches to the bridge are about all that remain in the project.
Taylor Voiles puts form oil on the steel forms to keep concrete from sticking to them as they are poured. The bridge over Interstate 24 on Missionary Ridge is nearing completion. More than 1,000-yards of concrete has been poured and the approaches to the bridge are about all that remain in the project.

Work on the South Crest Road Bridge that crosses Interstate 24 will be completed by Aug. 31, said Jennifer Flynn, Tennessee Department of Transportation spokeswoman.

The bridge has been closed since Nov. 12. It had an original completion of 10 months, making the new completion date slightly ahead of schedule.

The construction, done by Mid-State Construction Co. out of Livingston, Tenn., has stayed on schedule at the original $1.6 million budget and there have been no complications, Flynn said.

The bridge, originally built in 1964, began to show its age and was no longer able to be maintained, Flynn said. TDOT opted to replace the entire bridge deck, which is the surface people drive on.

Also, given the bridge's proximity to major highway traffic, safety was a big concern.

"You don't want anything happening over the interstate," she said.

Construction may even be finished earlier than Aug. 31. The South Crest Road Bridge also spans East Main Street and connects the southern half of Missionary Ridge to the northern half.

About 943 cars a day on average used the bridge before it was closed, a TDOT spokesperson told the Times Free Press in November, while about 106,000 cars pass under the bridge on I-24 daily.

Contact staff writer Evan Hoopfer at ehoopfer@timesfreepress.com or twitter.com/EvanHoopfer or 423-757-6731.

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