Drivers used to taking the Standifer Gap Road bridge will have to find an alternate route for the next 18 months.
The Chattanooga Department of Transportation announced the closing of the bridge over Friar’s Branch between Hickory Valley Road and Shallowford Road last week. This will be a hard closure with no traffic allowed on the bridge.
The decision came following a recent Tennessee Department of Transportation regular biannual bridge inspection that recommended the bridge be closed to all traffic because of continued deterioration of the bridge beams.
Previously, TDOT reduced the weight maximum for the bridge from 6 tons to 3 tons following last fall’s inspection, due to safety concerns regarding the structure’s deterioration.
CDOT is in the process of developing bridge replacement plans and identifying fund sources for new bridge construction.
Motorists can use Shallowford Road and Hickory Valley Road as detours during the closure.