Nashville bridge pier no longer in limbo

07/08/2009

By Candy McCampbell

The 57-ft-long concrete bridge pier punctuating the landscape near Interstate 40 in Nashville for the last four years will soon have a purpose.

The pier, built during Phase 1 of a $43.6 million highway job, will support a flyover to be built in Phase 2, which got under way July 1. The job was kick-started by a $32 million infusion of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds for the project cost.

The stimulus funds pushed up the construction start “by at least two years,” says Julie Oaks, Tennessee Department of Transportation spokeswoman.

Bell & Associates Construction LP of Brentwood, Tenn., is the contractor. Jeremy Mitchell is again the project manager.

The job includes construction of a pair of fly-over ramps between I-40 and Briley Parkway, replacing the White Bridge Road Bridge over I-40, building three noise barriers and five retaining walls and replacing a pedestrian bridge west of the interchange.

This was one of more than 100 projects across the state on a list of “shovel ready” jobs that TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely released last spring in anticipation of the ARRA funds.

“Funding constraints could have delayed this project and many others for years,” he says in a statement. “The Recovery Act funds are not only allowing us to make these major improvements to our infrastructure, but also to keep more Tennesseans employed on projects just like this one.”

About 350 workers are expected on this job. It is scheduled for completion in late summer 2011.

TDOT counts show an estimated 100,000 vehicles travel this stretch of I-40 daily and about 42,000 vehicles use the interchange daily.

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