Since May 2021, Chattanooga fire trucks have not been able to cross the Wilcox Boulevard bridge because of a weight limit on the structure.
However, with stations strategically placed throughout the city, Fire Department spokesperson Lindsey Rogers said there hasn’t been any disruption to service or any impact on the agency’s responses as a result of crews not being able to use the bridge.
“Our fire companies use alternate routes, and 911 dispatch sends the closest fire companies to any call, taking into account any construction or road closures,” Rogers said in an email.
Due to structural issues, CARTA buses have similarly not used the bridge for several years, said the agency’s chief of staff, Scott Wilson. That includes both full-size and shorter buses, which are rerouted to ensure the safety of passengers and operators, he said in an email. The transit agency’s offices are just down the road at 1617 Wilcox Blvd.
With their loaded trucks totaling as much as 40 tons, drivers for the Chattanooga-based trucking company Covenant Logistics also avoid the structure, navigation manager Sheldon Paprota said in an email.
After years of deterioration, the 70-year-old bridge spanning the Norfolk Southern Railway’s DeButts Yard on Wilcox Boulevard has a weight limit of 13 tons for two-axle vehicles, such as fire engines, or 23 tons for three-axle vehicles, such as ladder trucks. Fire engines weigh 22 tons with water, and ladder trucks weigh 40 tons with water. A March 2023 inspection by the Tennessee Department of Transportation rated the overall condition as poor, giving it a score of three on a scale of zero to nine.
Officials are now getting ready to replace the bridge, and Rae-Anne Bradley, a spokesperson for TDOT, said the agency anticipates construction will begin in fall 2026. A spokesperson for Mayor Tim Kelly’s office, Eric Holl, recently said on social media the project is expected to be finished in 2029.
“In the meantime, we want to reassure the public that the Wilcox bridge remains safe for travel,” Bradley said in an email. “We are closely monitoring its condition and have taken proactive steps — like lowering speed limits and posting load limits — to reduce stress on the bridge and extend its usability until the new bridge is complete. We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we work to deliver a safer, stronger bridge that will serve the community for decades to come.”
In a post on social media, Holl said he and Kelly regularly drive across the bridge.
“The reason we have the annoying bumps and plates on the bridge is to keep it safe to cross until it can be replaced,” Holl said in response to a post expressing concern about the structure. “If we believed it wasn’t safe, we would close it. Period.”
The bridge was built in 1958 and has an estimated annual maintenance cost of $1.3 million, Bradley said. Developing a plan to replace the bridge has required coordination among bridge owner Norfolk Southern; the city of Chattanooga, which owns Wilcox Boulevard; and TDOT, which will manage the development of design plans and administer the construction contract.
A low inspection rating does not mean a bridge is unsafe, Bradley said. Officials consider the structural adequacy, serviceability, obsolescence and its essentialness for public use, she said.
“In simpler terms, we look at all the parts of the bridge to see how old they are and how deteriorated they have become,” Bradley said. “We then calculate if the bridge can still perform at the level it was originally designed. Some older bridges, like Wilcox, were designed under different standards than are currently required. If a bridge doesn’t meet new design factors or safety standards, this can lower the rating. Lastly, if the bridge is heavily used and is vital to the public, we try to expedite replacement.”
In 2022, city officials celebrated a $25 million grant from the federal government that would cover nearly half of the then-estimated price tag of $54.5 million for the replacement. About $10 million would come from the city, $10 million from Norfolk Southern, $5 million from the Tennessee Department of Transportation and $500,000 from Hamilton County, officials said at the time. The remainder would come from other local and federal funding sources available for transportation.
Officials said in 2022 they were aiming to advertise the project for construction near the end of 2025.
According to the 2023 inspection by TDOT, the bridge rails, transitions, approach guardrails and approach guardrail terminals did not meet safety standards and the wearing surface had wide cracks at both approaches. The bridge rails were damaged on one side.
Inspectors also identified cracks, spalls, exposed rebar and potholes in the deck. Most drains were blocked, and the joints had deterioration.
In 2022, the city said the new bridge will be engineered to modern standards for structural integrity and will support buses, emergency vehicles, increased vehicular traffic and multimodal freight for future economic activity in East Chattanooga.
The new four-lane bridge will include the addition of a 12 1/2 foot-shared use path, which would ultimately provide access to the Tennessee River through a new pedestrian and bike connection the city said it planned to develop in the coming years.
“We understand that construction projects like the Wilcox Bridge replacement can be frustrating, especially when they take time,” Bradley said Friday. “But it’s important to remember this is a major infrastructure project involving coordination between the city of Chattanooga, TDOT and Norfolk Southern Railway, one of the largest rail yards in the country, which lies directly beneath the bridge, processing over 1,800 rail cars per day.
“The planning and construction process,” Bradley said, “takes time to ensure the safety of the public, protect critical rail operations and build a modern, long-lasting structure.”
Contact business reporter David Floyd at dfloyd@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249.