Dodson Branch Road Bridge To Be Wider, Safer

The bridge replacement project on Dodson Branch Road just north of Cookeville is on schedule to be completed by the end of September.

TDOT Region 2 Director Danny Oliver said the new bridge will be wider to allow more space for shoulders and guardrails. Oliver said the bridge is being replaced because its drainage culvert has deteriorated with age.

“There is an inconvenience because it was better for us, on this location, to replace the bridge in its location rather than build a detour around it or build a bridge off to the side and, you know, shift the roadway. We just didn’t have the room and it was a few months. We could just take the culvert out and put a new one in.”

Oliver said replacements like this are a common project they have to perform on bridges throughout the state. Oliver said there are detours in place but locals are not restricted from accessing driveways and other destinations closer to the bridge.

“We try to stay ahead of it with our road closure and lane closure reports that we put out weekly,” Oliver said. “And (Region 2 Communications Specialist Gracie Shamblin’s) office does that for us. And, you know, media is pretty much in tune with those.”

Oliver said the project is making good progress but could still get delayed by up to a few weeks if weather causes any issues.

“Fortunately we’ve had some good, dry weather,” Oliver said. “And I know, you know, working around the creek we have to safely divert the stream.”

Oliver said the original bridge was a five-foot by ten-foot slab bridge with a width of twenty-four feet.

“Everything we do is, as far as environmental goes, we take a lot of precautions to build things as clean as possible and everything’s permitted well,” Oliver said.