College Street Bridge Repair May Not Begin Until Spring

The Veterans Memorial Bridge on College Street in Smithville may be closed for several more months.
According to a spokesperson for the Tennessee Department of Transportation, the state currently plans to bid the project in February but construction may not start until early spring. TDOT had earlier informed city officials to expect the bid letting in December.
“Currently the bridge repair project is tentatively scheduled to be put in the February 10, 2017 bid letting, meaning it won’t be awarded to a contractor until approximately mid-March. The reason that HQ Construction did not put the project in the December 2016 letting was because the project includes asphalt. Asphalt plants usually close in late November and open back up in early spring, so Construction had to coordinate with them so we could make sure the plants were open during the timeframe that the contractors will be given to complete the project,” said Jennifer Flynn, TDOT Community Relations Officer in an email message to WJLE.
“Bridge repair plans have been completed by our Office of Bridge Repair (part of TDOT’s Division of Structures in Nashville). The Bridge Repair Office is responsible for the design and plans preparation of bridge repair projects on state-maintained bridges. Repair projects are let to contract through the normal bid process and administered by the HQ Construction Office. During the construction phase, the Bridge Repair Section assists regional construction personnel in construction inspection and in solving any problems that may arise,” added Flynn.
The bridge was damaged in June when a DeKalb County Landfill truck, driven by 54 year old Roger Chapman, hit the underside of the bridge as it was traveling east on Broad Street. Although the truck carried no dumpster at the time, the lift was up. Chapman received minor injuries and was cited by Smithville Police for speeding.
The scope of the work to be done to the bridge includes repairing damage to beams E&F in span 3 due to collision damage; injecting epoxy into cracks in the deck, sidewalk, and beams in span 3; installing steel channels on beam E in span 3; and performing partial depth repair to the sidewalk in span 3. No existing utility lines are to be affected during the repairs.
A recent TDOT inspection revealed “heavy collision damage” to the bridge and it will remain closed to traffic until repairs are made.