Joe Barger – City of Ringgold MayorRinggold’s new pedestrian bridge will honor the city’s longtime mayor.
The City Council unanimously voted during its Feb. 9 meeting to name the bridge after Joe Barger, who has been Ringgold’s mayor for 39 years and a council member for 47 years.
“He has not sought that type of recognition,” Councilman Randall Franks said in a news release. “It is time we pay homage to him for what he has done.”
The steel bridge crosses Nashville Street, also known as U.S. Highway 41, and connects the historic train depot, a popular spot for musical performances and other events, to a little-used, city-owned parking area.
“That parking area … is underdeveloped because there is not an easy way for folks to get back and forth,” Franks said a year ago when the council approved the project.
Workers began building the $300,000 bridge in January. When completed, it will have a bronze plaque containing biographical information about Barger. While the motion was passed by elected officials, the city asked in a news release for residents interested in funding the project to send checks to City Hall.
When reached for comment Friday afternoon, Barger at first did not talk about the honor. Instead, he railed for several minutes about several other bridges in town that, over the course of many years, have been damaged by truck drivers who tried to sneak their too-high vehicles to the other side.
He said he wants wind chimes hanging well before the bridge, at the same height of the structure. That way, when a driver hits the chimes, he or she will know the truck can’t make it through the bridge, and there will be fewer crashes, and …
A reporter asked again about the bridge being named after Barger.
“They made a motion to do it,” he said. “I don’t care if they do it. That may happen. I’m just glad to get the bridge up there in a while.”
Contact staff writer Tyler Jett at tjett@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6476.