One lane to stay open during construction

The future repair of Frank G. Clement Bridge won’t shut the bridge down, but it will slow traffic to one lane and take several months to complete.

The bridge is located over the Barren Fork River and is one of four Warren County bridges the Tennessee Department of Transportation has scheduled for repair. Unlike Westwood Bridge, which will be blocked off completely during construction, Clement Bridge will be done with one lane open.

‘The work will probably be done in phases, so the bridge would not have to be shut down entirely,’ said TDOT regional community relations officer Jennifer Osborne-Flynn. ‘The bridge will probably be narrowed during construction, but not totally closed to traffic.’

As for how long the bridge will be under construction, Osborne-Flynn says similar projects have taken six months to one year.

‘There’s no way of knowing for sure until the contract is let,’ she said. ‘I’m just going by past projects for the estimate.’

Along with affecting the flow of traffic, work on the bridge could also be a hindrance to walkers, joggers, bikers and roller-bladers who want to go the full length of the Barren Fork Greenway. The walking trail runs from Riverfront Park, across the bridge and into Pepper Branch Park. Currently, there are no plans to divert greenway users.

The repair work is scheduled to begin sometime in 2008. However, that date can be changed given available state funding during the phases needed to complete the project.