By MIKE KRAFCIK
6 News Reporter
DEL RIO (WATE) - The Tennessee Department of Transportation is planning to close the Wolf Creek Bridge in Cocke County for repairs.
The bridge, which crosses over the French Broad River, is on the eastern edge of Cocke County, on the same road known as the "Gateway to the Smokies."
TDOT says the bridge is scheduled to close on April 10, with the work scheduled to be complete in two years.
TDOT plans to extend the width of the bridge around 24 to 30 feet, saying the project will extend the bridge's lifetime up to 50 years.
The bridge was built in 1928 and is eligible for the National Registry of Historical Places. That's why TDOT is saving it.
"With it being a historic bridge, being an iconic bridge, it was worth saving," said Steve Borden, TDOT Region 1 transportation director.
The county wants the state to build a new bridge while Wolfe Creek is under construction.
"There is really bad access to the Wolf Creek Bridge. There are sharp turns on either end, and we've maintained we leave the Wolf Creek Bridge in use and build a new one on the side of it," said Cocke County Mayor Vaughn Moore.
While the bridge is closed traffic will be detoured onto Fugate Road, connecting back on the Dixie Park Highway in the town of Del Rio.
Many worry that the road is just too narrow and not suitable for heavy traffic. "Of course it's a narrow road, in places only one lane," Moore said.
The county says with a river and railroad tracks on one side, there might be challenges to making the road safer.
TDOT is spending close to $800,000 on safety upgrades on Fugate Road, such as upgrades to signs and improving the railroad crossings.
Gene Josey lives on Fugate Road. "I've got animals up there. I'm afraid they'll get run over. I also have grandchildren up there," he said.
The closure will cut off one of the main alternate routes for traffic on Interstate 40 and could affect business and tourism travel.
"Therefore it will devastating to local business. traffic would be going up Interstate 81 and 26," Moore said.
The reconstruction is scheduled to finish in April 2014. TDOT says it's providing incentives for contractors to finish early, similar to those in place for the construction of the Henley Bridge in Knoxville.
"We really tried to pull out all the stops to expedite this project," Borden said.
The bridge, which crosses over the French Broad River, is on the eastern edge of Cocke County.
