Work on unsafe bridge begins in East Tennessee
CLINTON, Tenn. (AP) – A contractor has started work to fix and replace a 100-year-old wooden bridge in East Tennessee.
The state ordered the bridge on Johnson Gap Road in Anderson County immediately closed in July 2013 because it was so unsafe.
Motorists had to take longer routes, but Anderson County Road Superintendent Gary Long told the Knoxville News Sentinel (http://bit.ly/1zwmeem ) he doesn’t know of any delays in emergency responses caused by the closure.
CSX Railroad owns the bridge and hired the contractor. The railroad earlier wanted to give the county ownership of the bridge, provided the county agree to raze it and replace it with a concrete structure.
Instead, the railroad’s contractor will fix the span, and the railroad will continue responsibility for maintenance.
Long says the work will probably take several weeks.
