A time frame for construction work on the Wilbur Dam Road Bridge Project has been set by the TVA. The bridge is in Carter County, TN.
David Miller speaks with Tina Brown, TVA Project Manager, about this multi-million dollar venture.
Transcript:
David Miller: I'm David Miller with WETS-FM, and we do have on the line with us Tina Brown. Tina Brown is with the Tennessee Valley Authority. And she is a project manager for the Wilbur Dam Road Bridge Project in Carter County, Tennessee. Tina, welcome to the program.
Tina Brown: Thank you.
David Miller: Let's talk a little bit about how important this bridge project is for TVA and the locals that live in that area.
Tina Brown: Oh, it's very important. Um, you know that that bridge currently serves the community, meaning the campground that's located there, as well as there's several private residences, also Watauga Dam and Hydro. Though that bridge is very important to TVA as well as the community.
David Miller: When we talk about this particular bridge, it's been around since the 1940s, and that actually replaced a bridge from maybe back in the 1800s. Let's talk about the projected cost of the bridge construction.
Tina Brown: So right now we're still in the process of planning, but we're estimating the cost to be around forty million. And so that is based on material and equipment costs that have increased to both COVID and Hurricane Helene. That have occurred, you know, in that area as well as other areas. And so to make sure that we got the best pricing for this bridge as well as the best contractor, we did what's called a competitive bid. And we invited several contractors to come in and bid on a design that we provided. And we reviewed their safety and their experience building this type of bridge. And that's how we came to determine which contractor would do the work. So we're confident that we have good price.
David Miller: What is the projected start date for the project to begin?
Tina Brown: So right now we're looking at late April to early May for the actual break of grounds to start constructions. But right now we're still in a planning phase, you know, getting all the support together, acquiring all the equipment, getting all the resources and all the other planning that goes into any project that we do here at TVA.
David Miller: About how long do you anticipate this bridge project to take until completion?
Tina Brown: Probably about two and a half years. So we're looking at a November, December, 2027 timeframe before we're able to place this bridging to Earth.
David Miller: So you're looking at a two and a half year project, but the good thing is that you can leave the current bridge up and running, correct?
Tina Brown: That is correct. We will not be demoing or shutting down the current bridge until the new bridge is completed and in service, you know, ready for use. However, there will be times that we'll have to, on the current bridge, restrict traffic to one lane or maybe even temporarily close down the waterway. But that is just whenever we're doing something in construction that's risky to vehicles or even pedestrians. And it'll only be on a temporary basis. At those times when we have to close those or restrict the lanes, we'll have resources available to help navigate that so that we don't have any congestion or any issues. And we're also working with our river management group on the recreational releases so that there's no concerns there.
David Miller: As far as this bridge goes, it's not being replaced because of Helene. It's just being replaced because it's old and needs to be replaced.
Tina Brown: That's correct. It's just outside of its life cycle.
David Miller: How many people do you anticipate being employed on this particular project?
Tina Brown: We're still in the planning phase, so those actual numbers I'm not sure of.
David Miller: Suffice to say it's going to be quite a few people in and out over a two and a half year period.
Tina Brown: That's correct.
David Miller: Tina, how long have you been with TVA?
Tina Brown: In the position I'm currently in as a project manager, I've been doing this work for three years. Before that, I worked in safety here at TVA.
David Miller: Tina, I appreciate so much you being with us today. I wish you the best of luck on the project.
Tina Brown: Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate it.
David Miller: Once again, Tina Brown, our guest, the project manager for the TVA project on the Wilbur Dam Road Bridge. I'm David Miller, WETS.