Marion County residents who use the Highway 156 bridge to cross the Tennessee River will face lane closures through the week as state officials perform an inspection.
Starting Monday, state crews began temporarily closing alternating lanes on Highway 156 passing over the 1,514-foot-long Shelby Rhinehart Bridge, known locally as the Blue Bridge, for a routine inspection to ensure the span meets construction and safety standards, transportation officials said in a press release. Traffic traveling in the county between South Pittsburg and New Hope will be affected.
Lane closures will be in place daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CDT, alternating in direction, officials said. Flaggers will be stationed at both approaches to guide traffic through the work zone, so drivers should be prepared to stop when approaching the bridge from either direction.
Because crew members will be controlling traffic movements, officials said drivers should approach the bridge with caution and remain alert for inspection personnel and equipment.
The bridge serves as a connecting route between the two communities and was constructed in 1981 for $17.4 million and opened in 1982 to replace a ferry in operation for decades, according to newspaper archives. The bridge went unnamed for eight years before being named for Rhinehart, a Spencer, Tennessee, Democratic state House Representative whose district at the time included parts of Marion County. Then-Gov. Ned McWherter officially dedicated the bridge to Rhinehart in 1989. Rhinehart died in 2002.
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State officials remind drivers to use the transportation agency’s motorist information tools to check travel conditions before departing. For the latest updates, visit the Tennessee Department of Transportation SmartWay Map or dial 511 for statewide travel information.
Contact Southeast Tennessee reporter Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.