Puente de Gay Street

El primer puente sobre el río Tennessee en este sitio fue un puente de pontones temporal construido durante la Guerra Civil Estadounidense . Le siguió un puente permanente con pilares de piedra, construido por el general de la Unión Ambrose E. Burnside , que fue arrasado por una inundación en marzo de 1867. ^{[ 2 ]} El condado de Knox construyó un puente cubierto en el sitio, que se inauguró el 2 de mayo de 1875, pero fue derribado por un tornado poco después. ^{[ 2 ] [ 1 ] [ 3 ]}

El condado vendió los pilares y derechos de paso restantes a GW Saulpaw, quien construyó un puente de celosía Howe de madera en el lugar en 1880. El puente de Saulpaw se mantuvo en pie hasta 1898, cuando fue demolido tras la finalización del puente de Gay Street. ^{[ 1 ]}

The Gay Street Bridge was designed by Charles E. Fowler, chief engineer of the Youngstown Bridge Company of Ohio.^[2] Fowler later boasted that he had hastily sketched the bridge's design—which was chosen over three other bids—on the back of an envelope during his train ride to Knoxville to meet with county officials.^[1]

Construction of the bridge, which was supervised by Fowler, began in 1897. Due to the scarcity of certain building materials during the Spanish–American War, Fowler was forced to modify his original design, and was constantly bickering with Knox County officials over who should pay the extra costs.^[1]

The Gay Street Bridge opened to traffic on July 9, 1898.^[4] Knox County issued a statement proclaiming the bridge "for the use of all the world except Spain," in reference to the war which had been raging throughout the year. Engineering journals such as Engineering News and Bridge Engineering praised the bridge's combination of safety and aesthetics.^[1] Because the 1898 bridge included trolley tracks, its construction accelerated residential development in the Island Home Park area on the south side of the river, which previously had been isolated from downtown Knoxville.^[5]

After receiving poor safety ratings, the bridge was extensively repaired in a project that required its closure from December 2001 to April 2004. Repairs included replacement of rusted pin joints and bearings and replacement of concrete on the bridge deck.^[6]

On June 25, 2024, after an annual inspection by the TN Department of Transportation (TDOT), the bridge was closed to all traffic, due to finding a "compromised element". Because the bridge is not on an official State maintained route, the City of Knoxville will be responsible for repairs. Until the closure, the bridge had passed every annual inspection by TDOT since the 2004 refurbishment.^[7]

El 12 de febrero de 2025, la ciudad de Knoxville anunció que el puente de Gay Street no se reabriría al tráfico vehicular y continuaría funcionando como puente peatonal y ciclista. En la misma conferencia de prensa, la alcaldesa de Knoxville, Indya Kincannon, declaró que la ciudad estudiaría la posibilidad de reabrir el puente al tráfico de autobuses de Knoxville Area Transit y a los servicios de emergencia en el futuro. ^{[ 8 ]}

El 16 de diciembre de 2025, el puente se reabrió al tráfico exclusivamente para peatones y ciclistas.