Westover Bridge construction update

JACKSON, Tenn — Westover Road remains closed after a state report deemed a bridge on the road unsafe.

“There are four six foot pipes in a row and they’re metal and they have rusted out at the bottom and are deteriorating which are causing them to fail.” City of Jackson Engineer Scott Chandler said.

Chandler said a report from a Tennessee Department Of Transportation inspection suggested the road to be closed immediately.

“Average cars coming through there would not have impacted it as much but with the trucks coming through there we just didn’t want to take the risks because it could cause all of the pipes to fail at once,”  Chandler said.

Chandler said barricades could not stop drivers from traveling the road so they did more.

“Went out there and dug the road up and mounted some asphalt up so the people wouldn’t take it upon themselves any undo risk to drive through there,” Chandler said.

“I’ve seen heavy trucks and heavy traffic on Lower Brownsville Road and it’s a pretty well populated area,” described a man that did not want to be identified.

The man said he has traveled the road and bridge for 57 years and says it is a major roadway for trucks.

“This land keeps the trash trucks out of the community. This is a primary entrance to the landfill and that’s pretty much number one. It’s convenient because you drove an extra four miles to get to my house because of this road,” he said.

Chandler said his department is currently getting surveys and designs as quickly as they can so they can reopen the road.

The estimated cost for a new bridge ranges between $300,000 and $400,000.

Contracts and bids for the new bridge will ultimately be approved by city council before construction can begin.

No word on a time table for completion of the project.