New bridge among several upgrades at Chickasaw State Park

CHESTER COUNTY, Tenn. — Chickasaw State Park is getting upgraded across the board.

“We’re here today to cut a ribbon to celebrate the reopening of the bridge across Lake Placid,” said Brock Hill, deputy commissioner for Parks and Recreation for the Department of Environment and Conservation.

The project has been two years in the making, with the construction taking about a year.

“It’s a complicated process to drain the lake, take away the new bridge and then come in and build a new one,” Hill said.

Chester County leaders as well as park workers and community members were all there to celebrate the opening of the bridge.

The new bridge is just one of several improvements going on all across the park.

The RV campground is getting renovated to fit newer vehicles.

“RVs have gotten bigger, so not only are we fixing up the campground, we’re making the sites wider and long,” Hill said.

The sewer system at the park is also getting a $2.1 million upgrade.

Lyddie Beth Baker says she comes to the park every year with her church.

“We come and stay for like five days, and we just swim and have a good time. It’s a lot of fun,” Baker said.

Deputy Commissioner Hill says the parks show people what it means to be a Tennessean.

“All these parks have great stories about us. Collectively, they are the story of us,” Hill said.

Over the past seven and a half years, $180 million has been spent on the park system statewide.