Riverfront Parkway Reopens to Traffic

Chattanooga, Tenn. – The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) announced today that the section of Riverfront Parkway that has been closed to traffic as part of the Market Street Bridge rehabilitation project will reopen by 6:00 p.m. this evening (February 2). Mountain States Contractors, the contractor on the project, has completed the work that required the closure of Riverfront Parkway beneath the south end of the structure a month ahead of schedule.

“We realize Riverfront Parkway is a vital artery for downtown businesses,” said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely. “TDOT officials have been working very closely with representatives of the contractor throughout this project to ensure the roadway opened on schedule in order to minimize the impacts to area motorists and businesses. We appreciate everyone’s patience throughout this closure.”

Work on this phase of the project began on September 5, 2006. The contractor had a total of 180 days to complete the south end of the project and reopen Riverfront Parkway to traffic. The contractor completed the work in 150 days.

“In order to provide a safe environment for street and pedestrian passage underneath the Market Street Bridge, that section of Riverfront Parkway had to be closed,” explained Jerry Britton of Mountain States Contractors. “We are very proud we could complete the work safely and open the parkway ahead of schedule.”

Although the roadway will be open, the steps and walkway in the area of The Passage will continue to be closed to pedestrian traffic until the contractor completes the improvements to the rail at the south approach of the bridge.

“We are very pleased to have this portion of the project completed early,” stated TDOT Regional Director Bob Brown. “Our objective was to have this area of Riverfront Parkway reopened to traffic as quickly as possible, and a lot of hard work went into accomplishing this goal.”

The Market Street Bridge project began on September 18, 2005 and is expected to be completed in September 2007. For more information on TDOT projects in the area, log onto our website at www.tennessee.gov/tdot.