With about $1 million worth of improvements the Goshen Valley Bridge could nearly double its weight limit and extend the life of the bridge until a replacement s built, according to state officials.
The 60-year-old bridge located just south of Church Hill on Goshen Valley Road has been identified by the Tennessee Department of Transportation as being in need of replacement for an estimated cost of $20 million.
Hawkins County Mayor Mark DeWitte told the county commission Monday that he got a bit of good news about the bridge last week while meeting with three TDOT engineers and three state legislators — Rep. Timothy Hill, Rep. Gary Hicks and Sen. Jon Lunberg.
“(TDOT) said that if we did three things we could increase the weight limit on that bridge to at least 18 tons, and possibly more depending on the materials used, and extend the longevity of it for the foreseeable future,” DeWitte told commissioners.
DeWitte added, “Instead of a $20 million project, that will be a $1 million (rehab) project, and we can pretty much deal with that and get that taken care of on a fairly expeditious timeline. I’ve already got an engineering firm looking at it, drawing up plans. As soon as they finish the plans and get them over to TDOT, and we can fund it, TDOT will go ahead and use their construction crews to do that — to get it at least to where 18 tons and maybe more can cross over it.”
DeWitte noted that the legislators who attended that meeting last week expressed confidence that some state funding could be allocated to assist with this project. The goal would be to keep the bridge open until an estimated $20 million is acquired to build a new bridge, and keep the old bridge open during new bridge construction.
“It’s going to be a long process to build the new bridge,” DeWitte said. “It won’t take as long to make the corrections that they (TDOT) have asked us to make.”
During the citizens comments portion of Monday’s county commission meeting, Deanna Patterson, who resides in Goshen Valley, expressed a concern she and her neighbors have about the new weight limit warning signage for large vehicles near the bridge.
The newly installed 10-ton weight limit warning signs are about 100 yards on each side of the bridge. But, they don’t prevent prevent tractor-trailers from crossing the bridge because by the time truck drivers see the signs they’re beyond the point of no returned and can’t turn around.
Patterson asked if there could be signs placed by the county or TDOT near I-81 and/or the Greene County line before tractor-trailer drivers using GPS enter Goshen Valley.
DeWitte said TDOT was waiting for the county to put its signage up near the bridge before placing signage closer to the Interstate.
“It’s in the works at the very places that you’re talking about,” DeWitte said. “I can’t control TDOT’s timeframe, but they are going to put them up.”
On Wednesday the commission’s Budget Committee voted to recommend that 10 cents be added to the county property tax rate to generate revenue for capital outlay projects involving bridges and highways.
DeWitte said those funds would most likely be utilized initially for the $1 million Goshen Valley bridge rehab. The full commission will vote on that tax increase on June 24.
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