BRISTOL, Tenn. – The long-anticipated opening of the new Anderson Street Bridge might happen this morning, depending on rainfall overnight.
"As long as the weather holds off, we’ll have the opening at 10 a.m. [Saturday]," Terrie Talbert, community relations director for the city, said Friday evening.
She explained that, in order to open the bridge, lines marking the lanes must be painted on the deck. A crew was preparing to do the job Friday night, but the weather must be dry for the six to eight hours necessary to stripe the pavement.
"There’s only a 30 percent chance of rain after midnight, so hopefully, we can have it ready to open," Talbert said.
When opened, the four-lane bridge will serve as an unobstructed connection between downtown Bristol and the city’s east side.
In the past, when slow-moving trains would block State Street, fire crews and law enforcement officers would be forced to use alternate routes.
The new structure will enable motorists, emergency vehicles and pedestrians to avoid delays caused by trains.
"We’ve had to go down State Street to get to that part of town, and the new bridge opening up doesn’t mean we won’t continue to use that street," said Fire Chief Bob Barnes. "The bridge will help, and we’ll have to develop a habit of responding [to emergencies] over it."
The bridge connects Edgemont Avenue with Pennsylvania Avenue and crosses Beecham, Taylor, Second and Third streets as well as the railroad tracks.
The $5.7 million construction project that began in June 2006 has created a major east-west path through the heart of the city.
Paid for mainly by the Tennessee Department of Transportation, the bridge has four lanes over its 1,100-foot span and is equipped with a walkway on each side, and two new intersections with traffic signals.
Cleveland Tennessee’s Simpson Construction was the project’s general contractor.
Police Chief Blaine Wade said the new bridge would "guarantee an open route" from the center of the city to its east side.
"In the past, if we were responding to that area of town, we would use Ash Street or go to Mary Street [in Bristol, Va.] and cross over the tracks," he said.
Time will tell if the new design causes problems for motorists. Of interest is the redesign of Pennsylvania Avenue where it meets the end of the bridge on the east side.
A portion of the road has changed from a straight, north/south line to an S-shaped chicane. The design, used mainly in motor racing, is also used in city streets to slow traffic.
Motorists also will have to pay attention to new traffic signals added at intersections at each end of the new bridge.
ggray@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2512
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