Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon announced on Wednesday the historic Gay Street Bridge, which spans the Tennessee River connecting North and South Knoxville, will never reopen to regular vehicular traffic due to the price of repairs. City officials will, however, vote on a $2 million repair plan in March that would make the bridge safe for pedestrians and cyclists.
“We were hoping we could restore it back to its regular loads, and that is not possible because of the wear and tear after 127 years,” Kincannon said. “It's been something that the people of Knoxville have used to cross the Tennessee River since 1898, and so we are eager to reopen it to the capacity we can.”
The bridge was closed abruptly last June after a routine inspection discovered a distorted steel beam in its superstructure, which supports the deck. It’s been barricaded ever since as the Knoxville City Council allocated nearly $1 million to pay engineering firm Gresham Smith to inspect damages and estimate repair costs.
According to Knoxville Deputy Director of Engineering Christopher Howley, repairing the bridge for vehicle use would be too costly to make it worthwhile for the city.
“We're talking in the 40, 50 million [dollars] for a repair of a bridge that's that age,” Howley said. “And you're really talking about the valuation of a new bridge. … So it's kind of served its life.”
The city has opted instead for a cheaper $2 million project which would make the bridge safe for pedestrians while also buying time for city leaders to develop a long-term plan, according to Gresham Smith representative Jason Brady.
“Our intent for doing these repairs is to allow the city time to be able to go and get funding to replace the bridge, and so we're hoping that maybe that's somewhere in a five to 10 year window, but we don't expect that this bridge is going to be in service any longer than that,” Brady said.
Kincannon indicated she didn’t know what exactly a replacement bridge would look like, when it would happen or what it would cost. Vice Mayor Tommy Smith said it would ideally reflect the original bridge’s capacity and design.
“Whatever new bridge emerges a decade down the road needs to retain that kind of iconic nature,” Smith said.
When the Gay Street Bridge opened in 1898, it extended the Knoxville trolley line across the river to the Island Home neighborhood, accelerating growth in an area that had previously been largely cut off from downtown.
Smith pointed out that the bridge still holds a great deal of significance to the Island Home and South Knoxville communities, particularly to small businesses along Sevier Avenue. That road has seen a large amount of additional growth in recent years, drawing a multimillion-dollar infrastructure investment from the city.
“All of those businesses along Sevier Avenue are the lifeblood of that corridor, and they have asked us, if at all possible, to please make it open to pedestrians,” Smith said. “If there's any silver lining, it’s that those businesses will have people coming to and from them from downtown in a year's time.”
The Knoxville City Council will vote on the $2 million repair plan in its first March meeting. If approved, Kincannon estimates repairs will be completed by the end of this year or the beginning of 2026.
