Bridge Problems in Cocke County

You had probably seen that story about the bridge on I-40 going over the Mississippi River from Memphis to Arkansas that has been shut down to due a large crack in that bridge. Well, a report by the Tennessee Department of Transportation says there are more than 50 bridges in east Tennessee that are deemd “structurally deficient”. Four of those bridges are here in Cocke County….they include the Golf Course Rd. bridge over I-40…the Green Corner Rd. Bridge on I-40 near Hartford…and the state route 160 bridge over the Nolichucky River at the Cocke County/Hamblen County line.

TDOT says a bridge can be deemed structurally deficient if one or more major structural components of the bridge are rated in poor condition.”…or A bridge can also be classified as structurally deficient if its load carrying capacity is significantly below current design standards or if it crosses a waterway that frequently overtops the bridge during floods.