Repair work has started on a $2.7 million makeover for the Walnut Street Bridge, just as the area's wildfire smoke begins to dissipate and temperatures start to fall in the Tennessee Valley.
Chattanooga's iconic 1890 Pennsylvania truss bridge, closed in 1978 and reopened as a pedestrian thoroughfare in 1993, will receive repairs to its foundation, supporting piers, steel structure and wooden decking over the next six months, according to city officials and engineering consultants.
"We're making sure that's a safe and wonderful place for people to enjoy our city," Mayor Andy Berke has said of the bridge's overhaul.
Late Friday morning, workers clad in neon-yellow safety vests tackled various tasks under the bridge, pouring concrete to strengthen steel columns and using heavy tools to remove ancient rust. Above, people strolled and jogged back and forth across 2,400-foot span over the Tennessee River, which connects downtown Chattanooga to the North Shore. A smoky haze veiled the downtown shoreline, revealing the Hunter Museum and nearby buildings only as vague shapes.
The lingering smoke and associated air quality warnings haven't affected the work, Volkert & Associates project manager Tony Montiel said Friday as he and a project inspector marked wooden deck planks requiring replacement.
As the pair walked, Montiel pointed out warped, frayed or dry-rotted planks. With no rain in weeks, bird droppings have accumulated on a number of planks, whether they need replacing or not.
In addition to worn planking here and there, other makeover needs present themselves to anyone walking the span. Blue paint covering the superstructure has faded to white in some places and rusty spots have emerged.
One task in the first phase of the project calls for restoring the joints between steel plates that connect the steel columns to the bridge superstructure, he said. Rust that has built up over the decades between the plates must be removed.
"We remove the rust, which requires us to heat the steel first," Montiel said. "Afterward, we paint it, creating a long-term seal."
SMOKE ON THE WATER
People on the bridge Friday afternoon talked about how weather and wildfires affected their use of the popular pedestrian span.
Sarah Rhodes and her husband, Walker, who live near the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, said the smoke had definitely kept them away.
"It's been so smoky, it's been hard to breathe," she said.
The couple said they have not been on the bridge for a few weeks because of the smoke. Before that, they walked the bridge three times a week.
Nicole Kazmierzak, who comes to the bridge a couple of times a week, said she didn't see a lot of difference in the number of people over the last month.
"To me, this seems normal," she said, looking the scattered individuals and groups walking on the bridge. "I probably see fewer people doing cardiovascular exercise, like running."
The outpouring of wildfire smoke into the city has had little effect on her personally, Kazmierzak said.
"I have a dog service business and I have to be out whether I like it or not. But it hasn't affected me too much," she said. "I haven't had any allergic reactions."
Ashley Garris, walking with her family, said the smoke had not been bad when they visited the bridge in recent weeks. The biggest challenge they sometimes face is finding a parking space, she said.
MORE WORK TO BE DONE
While summer is the best time to handle some of the bridge repairs, city planners called for launching the project over the fall and winter to minimize its impact on users.
City spokeswoman Marissa Bell said in a statement this week that people need to be aware of the ongoing face lift when they use the bridge.
"All efforts will be made to maintain pedestrian traffic on the bridge during construction, but the public is advised to use caution as rehabilitation work is performed," Bell said.
Dennis Malone, assistant city engineer, said the work will also be scheduled around major planned events.
The city allocated $3.2 million to the big makeover his year and is planning for another $8.4 million in 2018. Most of the future expenditures - about $5.6 million - will be paid with federal transportation improvement money.
The bridge underwent a series of improvements between 2009 and 2013, including converting more than half its 212lights to LED fixtures and replacing its asphalt surface with wooden decking.
Contact staff writer Paul Leach at 423-757-6481 or pleach@timesfreepress.com. Follow on Twitter @pleach_tfp.