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KNOXVILLE, TENN. — The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is working to prepare residents and motorists that travel along U.S. 25/70 (State Route 9) in Cocke County for an upcoming major bridge repair project that will require a total closure of the roadway for as long as 30 months. The Wolf Creek Bridge, which is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, is structurally deficient and will require a major rehabilitation in order to reconstruct the bridge according to historic guidelines.

“We’re still several months away from beginning this project, but we know this project is going to have a major impact on the community,” said TDOT Region One Director Steve Borden. “We are here tonight to make sure everyone understands why the project is needed. When it is completed, this community will have a safer bridge in place that maintains the structure’s historic integrity and beauty.”

The Wolf Creek Bridge on U.S. 25/70 (SR-9) was originally built in 1928. During the rehabilitation, crews will carefully dismantle the bridge down to the arches and will reconstruct it under the guidelines of the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) in order to maintain its historic integrity. Plans also include widening the bridge from 24-4/5 feet to 30-4/5 feet which allows the lanes to be widened from 10-3/5 feet to 12 feet with 2-foot shoulders.

TDOT anticipates the contract will be awarded during the first quarter of 2011 with construction expected to begin during the spring of 2011. An exact closure date has not been determined.