Gay street bridge
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“After 18 months, we’re reopening the bridge to pedestrians and bicyclists – and that goes a very long way in reconnecting downtown and our South Waterfront.”
The city worked with bridge design consultants Gresham Smith and local contractor Charles Blalock & Sons Inc. to stabilize the bridge and to reconfigure the north end of the bridge where Gay Street and Hill Avenue intersect.
The Gay Street Bridge opened in 1898 for horses and buggies.
Instead, the City pivoted, working with nationally recognized bridge design consultants Gresham Smith and longtime local contractor Charles Blalock & Sons Inc. to stabilize the structure and reimagine its role as a pedestrian- and bike-only crossing.
“It was a sad day when the Gay Street Bridge was ordered closed for safety reasons, and at the time we didn’t know what it would take to reopen it,” Kincannon said.
We want to deliver for the people of Knoxville, but we also need to prioritize safety. The Gay Street Bridge has been part of Knoxville’s identity for generations, and while it can’t serve the same function it once did, kudos to the City for turning a difficult situation into something that’s safer and, frankly, more pleasant.
While today’s ribbon cutting fulfilled the City’s goal of reopening the bridge before year’s end, a larger public celebration is planned for January, in partnership with downtown and South Waterfront businesses.
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The City of Knoxville announced Tuesday that the Gay Street Bridge is now open to pedestrians and cyclists.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation ordered the closure of the bridge in June 2024 due to critical safety concerns.
I used to enjoy strolling across the bridge when I had a break from work just to look at the river, and now it’s even more of a park-like experience, both recreational and functional for people commuting north and south.”
Motorized vehicles are no longer allowed on the bridge. Redundant turn lanes were removed, making room for new landscaped areas with benches, trees, shrubs and perennial plantings.
The maximum occupancy is capped at 1,000 people at any one time, with cameras and on-site security planned for major events like home games and the Fourth of July.
Long-term, the City has applied for a $1 million Federal Highway Administration grant to study future options including the potential replacement of the bridge.
Council supported the $2.7 million investment to stabilize the bridge and make it safe again.
Who can use Knoxville's Gay Street Bridge now that it has reopened
Downtown Knoxville's Gay Street Bridge is open once again to pedestrians and bicyclists only.
The 128-year-old bridge has been closed since June 2024 after engineers found structural problems that made it unsafe.
“Once we understood the parameters and how long it would take to stabilize it, we made a promise. The city said further assessments found cracked bolts, distorted elements and warped steel. What was once a paved traffic zone now reads more like a small plaza.
“This used to be all paved over, pretty much,” Kincannon said.
The city said it invested $2.7 million to stabilize the bridge, reopening it to the public on Tuesday morning.
“This is a happy turning point,” Mayor Indya Kincannon said. The rest of the funding for the $60 million pedestrian bridge will come from the Tennessee Department of Transportation and $15 million in tax increment financing money from Knoxville's Community Development Corporation.
Allie Feinberg is the politics reporter for Knox News.
Cars will no longer be allowed on the bridge.
Here's what can travel on the bridge:
- Pedestrians
- Bicycles, recumbent bikes and trikes
- Class 1 and 2 e-bikes
- Kick scooters and e-scooters
- Wheelchairs and micro-mobility devices with two wheels or less that have a maximum powered speed of 20 mph or less
- The maximum capacity is 1,000 people
The city will host a celebration with community members and others in January.
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Built in 1898 for horses and buggies, with an expected service life of 75 years, the bridge had long outlived its original design parameters.While many hoped the bridge might eventually reopen to vehicle traffic, city officials determined that was neither feasible nor responsible.
The Gay Street Bridge supported about 7,000 vehicles a day when it was open.
Completely replacing the damaged bridge to allow cars would cost $60 million to $200 million, spokesperson Kristin Farley told Knox News. TDOT ordered the closure after inspections revealed a compromised structural element, followed by additional findings of deterioration in the bridge’s aging components.
Crews installed hard plastic delineators and green bike lane markings on the Henley Street Bridge to separate cars from bikes.
What's allowed on the Gay Street Bridge
What's allowed:
- Pedestrians
- Bicycles, recumbent bikes and trikes
- Class 1 and 2 e-bikes
- Kick scooters and e-scooters
- Wheelchairs and micromobility devices with two wheels or less that have a maximum powered speed of 20 mph or less
What's not allowed:
- Motorized vehicles
- Class 3 e-bikes
- Golf carts
- Vehicles that require a license to operate, regardless of fuel source
- Powered devices that can exceed 20 mph when powered solely by a motor
- Off-road e-motorcycles
- Special events
What's next for the Gay Street Bridge?
Opening the bridge for pedestrians is only a temporary fix.
The city hopes to eventually close it permanently, though officials haven't said when that could happen.
Separately from the fixes to the Gay Street Bridge, plans to build a new bridge on the University of Tennessee campus specifically for pedestrians cleared a major hurdle in July amid uncertainty over whether the Trump administration would follow through on federal money promised to make the project happen.
The city was awarded $24.7 million from the U.S.
Department of Transportation to connect the landlocked university to property across the river. Building a new bridge will require buy-in from state and federal partners and that's a tall order considering regional partners like the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization, a federally mandated organization, already have a long and expensive wait list for projects in the region.
While the Gay Street Bridge was out of commission, car and bike traffic increased on the Henley Street Bridge that crosses the Tennessee River several blocks west.
So it feels good, and Christmas came a little early for those of us who love the Gay Street Bridge.”
In addition to structural repairs, the project included a reconfiguration of the bridge’s north entrance at Gay Street and Hill Avenue, long a confusing and vehicle-heavy intersection. Email: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com; Reddit: u/KnoxNewsAllie
Gay Street Bridge Reopens to Pedestrians & Cyclists—On Time, Under Budget
After 18 months of uncertainty, detours and collective bridge-education the city never asked for, the Gay Street Bridge is once again open—this time to pedestrians and bicyclists only.
City leaders cut the ribbon this morning on the 127-year-old span, marking the completion of a $2.7 million stabilization project that came in on time and under budget.
It’s tree planting season, and this will continue to grow into a welcoming, inviting place for pedestrians and cyclists. It feels good to keep that promise. “Now you’re seeing new plantings, trees and green space.