Cookeville Seeking Funding To Replace Cane Creek Bridge

Cookeville’s Public Works Department will seek city council approval Thursday to participate in a federal program funding work on Cane Creek Bridge.

Director Greg Brown said the latest inspection showed the bridge needs to be repaired or replaced.

“The bridge was built in 1940, so it is really time to replace it,” Brown said. “So, we have applied and got approved to participate in a federal off-system bridge replacement program. The first step is to get approval to participate in that, and then, T-DOT will do an evaluation see what it will take to replace the bridge.”

Brown said the city has already completed some temporary repairs to buy some time. Currently, school buses can not cross the bridge on Buffalo Valley Road due to weight restrictions.

“You got the concrete deck that deteriorates. There is steal beams under the bridge that are starting to rust out some,” Brown said. “Mainly, age is what caused it.”

If approved, the T-DOT report would take six months to complete. Brown said more repairs to alleviate weight restrictions could come depending on the time frame of funding.

“Any time you are getting federal or state money, there is a lot of steps you have to take to do it,” Brown said. “This is the first one, but it usually takes a while to get through it all.”

During the design process of the project, Brown said the city will consider realigning the road to make the curve leading to the bridge safer.

“There is a long sweeping curve through there, and we will try to do any realignment we can that would help out without making it worse,” Brown said. “Or shifting the worse part of the curve somewhere else.”

The program would fund 80 percent of the project with a estimated $98,000 match from Cookeville.