State to replace bridge

New span is in the works for U.S. 70 near Arlington

Tennessee transportation officials have filed preliminary plans to replace a bridge near Arlington that was built when Calvin Coolidge was president.

A new span on U.S. 70 over the Loosahatchie River is expected to cost about $8 million, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation. Bids on the project are scheduled to be received July 10, with construction beginning no more than 60 days after that.

The new bridge will replace a structure that was built in 1925 and rehabilitated in 1964.

TDOT inspection reports indicate that several components of the span, including the substructure and superstructure, are in poor condition. Inspectors found the scourprotection components that protect the bridge

piers from river erosion to be in even worse shape, rating it “serious.”

However, TDOT spokeswoman Nichole Lawrence said the span remains safe for vehicle traffic.

“It’s just an old bridge,” she said.

Last year, the average daily traffic count at the bridge was 4,590, according to TDOT.

The new span will be 720 feet long and 46 feet wide, with two 12-foot lanes and 10-foot shoulders, according to plans filed with the Corps of Engineers.

Construction will destroy or fill 2.5 acres of wetlands, an impact for which TDOT will pay into a fund providing for the restoration of swamps.