Hawkins County emergency responders to no longer use bridge, increasing response time

HAWKINS CO., Tenn. (WJHL)—Response times for a Hawkins County volunteer fire department will increase due to members deciding not to use a bridge in their route.

The Goshen Valley Volunteer Fire Department (GVVFD) decided this week to no longer travel on the Goshen Valley Road bridge, which crosses over the Holston River. This bridge is just south of 11W and is county-owned.

“With other things in the report that we’d seen, we [believed] it was best out of a group decision from our board members and the members of the department; we should not be crossing the bridge,” said Assistant Chief for GVVFD, Steve Walters.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) published its inventory and appraisal report on the bridge two weeks ago, and it shows troubling information.

When evaluating bridges, TDOT uses a ranking system of zero to 100. If the ranking is less than 80, then the bridge qualifies for rehabilitation. If the score is less than 50, then the bridge qualifies for replacement. All rankings for the Goshen Valley Road bridge came back in the single digits.

Walters said the department compared these findings to the previous reports TDOT conducts every few years.

“The substructure of the bridge is a five, and on the previous report, we looked back, and it was a six,” said Walters. “So, it has deteriorated more from the last report. And the structure evaluation of the whole bridge is a three.”

According to county officials, the bridge’s weight limit was brought down to 10 tons in 2017. Walters said GVVFD trucks traveled on the bridge after that change. But with this report, department members knew it was no longer safe.

Much of the damage on the bridge is hard for the average motorist to see.

“A lot of the damage is the structure pillars now, underneath of the bridge and the side railings of the bridge,” said Walters. “You can see previous repairs that they’ve made on it where the deterioration is coming from.”

The department’s decision not to use the bridge will add 20 to 35 minutes to emergency response time to travel around it.

Walters said GVVFD responds to several calls across 11W. Now, those citizens will have to rely on quick responses from other departments.

Plus, this decision has put a financial burden on the department with the amount of extra gas used traveling and the request to install a fuel pump nearby. Members are also trying to get the water tank filled again so they have easier access to water.

“It’s not just affecting us. It’s affecting our residents,” said Walters. We’re here for our residents, and our residents support us, our community.”

Local residents, business owners with large logging and dumping trucks, and even a county bus route use the bridge daily. News Channel 11 witnessed UPS and FedEx trucks using the bridge as well.

News Channel 11 reached out to the Hawkins County Schools about their bus route on the bridge.

“[We are] currently seeking direction from TDOT and will plan accordingly,” said Hawkins County Schools director of schools, Matt Hixson.

Walters said school buses weigh well over 10 tons even before passengers are loaded.

Next steps for the bridge and the community

TDOT’s recommended improvement is a bridge replacement.

Hawkins County Mayor Mark DeWitte has been receiving calls from concerned citizens about the bridge. DeWitte has also been sending emails and reaching out to federal groups and representatives to start the process of finding money to fund the county-owned bridge.

According to the TDOT report, the cost to replace the bridge was estimated at around $14 million in 2021, but now inflation has to be considered.

“It’s going to be Hawkins County’s responsibility to do something, and typically, we don’t have $20 million lying around that we can just throw at the problem,” said DeWitte.

This is a recent issue brought to DeWitte’s attention and he said he’s taking it seriously.

“It is a public safety concern, and we do need to do something about it,” said DeWitt. “Now, what that’s going to be, we don’t really know at this point.”

The GVVFD developed and sent out a detailed list of actions that members believe local and state agencies should take next.

The department is asking the Tennessee Highway Patrol for more patrol and the county sheriff’s office to monitor the area more closely. GVVFD is also making a plan in the event that the bridge collapses.

“We’re worried about if this bridge falls down and we hope that we never see that,” said Walters. “The additional traffic that we would be added to us to respond to that.”

In addition, GVVFD is asking TDOT to install warning flashing signs on 11W and from I-81 at Baileyton to warn motorists of the weight limit on Goshen Valley Road, and to install signs at least a quarter mile from both approaches to the bridge.

“The weight rating signs on the bridge are at the bridge, so as these larger trucks come in, they’re already obligated [to continue traveling],” said Walters. There’s no place to turn or back up. So, they’re stuck there with a 10-ton rating and a truck that’s overweight.”

Mayor DeWitte said he wants to talk to TDOT about limiting the bridge to a one lane and installing traffic lights to signal drivers.

For more information on other ranked bridges in Tennessee and how to understand the report, click here .

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