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Phase One’s Most Outward Impact Thus been keeping close watch for motorist Brooks said the road improvement
Far: Hunt Road Bridge Demolition impacts and traffic flow. City engineers project through that area will “promote
say drivers have been smoothly rerouted safe travel of multiple purposes along
Blount motorists were highly with little consternation since the bridge this section of roadway. The city itself
impacted by Phase One in mid- was demolished. The new bridge should will benefit in many ways…safety
June when the Hunt Road Bridge be opened by the end of 2020. improvements, increased capacity and
crossing Alcoa Highway was closed ease of access.”
and demolished in anticipation of “This has been an interesting project
construction of a new bridge. Showing to see progress,” said Megan Brooks, P.E., “This type of project helps to create
signs of deterioration, that old 280-foot- City of Alcoa Assistant Director/Chief more capacity, remove left turning
long concrete and steel structure Engineer, Public Works and Engineering. conflicts and provide ease of access to
spanned over four lanes of Alcoa “Initially the project was going to various destinations along the corridor,”
Highway. It was a critical connection keep the Hunt Road Bridge open to she said.
between East Hunt Road and West Hunt accommodate traffic, but that would
Road, on which roughly 9,920 vehicles push out construction significantly.” City of Alcoa Works to Minimize Impacts
daily travel. Simon DeVente, P.E., Assistant
“The decision to close the bridge Director/Chief Engineer, Public Works
The new bridge, to be reconstructed completely and rebuild has been a good and Engineering for City of Alcoa, said
in the same location, was deemed one. TDOT and the contractor have the City has been involved in the Phase
necessary to accommodate current managed it well. Everyone involved has One project (and will continue to be
and future traffic demands, as well worked hard to have the bridge back up involved) in a myriad of ways.
as the planned Alcoa Highway and running by the end of this year or “For example, each time a new phase
improvements. The new bridge is a sooner,” she said. comes up for preliminary design, we
pre-cast, prestressed bulb-tee concrete meet with TDOT to discuss how their
superstructure with a concrete deck Nagi said Phase One has an estimated plans interface with the city’s current
that is 493'6" in length and nearly 74' in completion date of November 2021. By plans for its streets. In those same
width. that date, construction workers will have meetings, we review utilities to make
finished the “lift” of the Alcoa Highway/ sure there will be no conflicts. If there
City of Alcoa: Host City to Phase One Hunt Road interchange beside the are, TDOT pays to relocate those,” he
So far, so good, say City of Alcoa airport, effectively also opening a second said.
entrance to the flight/transportation Continued on page 12
Public Works professionals, who have complex.
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