Market Street Bridge (Chattanooga)

Market Street Bridge
Carries 4 lanes of North Market St.
Crosses Tennessee River
Locale Chattanooga, Tennessee
Official name Chief John Ross Bridge
Characteristics
Design Double-leaf bascule bridge
Total length 1894.5 ft (577 m)
Width 36 ft (11 m)
Longest span 358.8 ft (109 m)
History
Opened

1917

Market Street Bridge
Coordinates 35°3′31″N 85°18′33″W / 35.05861°N 85.30917°W / 35.05861; -85.30917Coordinates: 35°3′31″N 85°18′33″W / 35.05861°N 85.30917°W / 35.05861; -85.30917
NRHP Reference # 10001047[1]
Added to NRHP December 20, 2010[1]

The Market Street Bridge, officially referred to as the John Ross Bridge, is a bascule bridge that spans the Tennessee River between downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the Northshore District. It carries North Market Street (formerly designated as U.S. Route 127), and was named in honor of Cherokee Chief John Ross. The bridge was completed in 1917 at a cost of $1 million. In the mid-1970s, the southern terminus of US 127 was moved several miles north to the intersection of Dayton Boulevard and Signal Mountain Boulevard in the nearby suburb of Red Bank.

The bridge has concrete arch spans flanking a center draw span, which is a steel truss with double-leaf Scherzer rolling lift bascule mechanism. At the time of its completion in 1917, the 300-foot (91 m) main span was the longest rolling-lift bascule span in the world.[2] Vehicular traffic originally included streetcars, but streetcar service across the bridge ended in the 1930s.[2] The bridge was formally renamed the Chief John Ross Bridge in 1950.[2]

The bridge closed in 2005 for a renovation, but reopened on August 4, 2007, ahead of its originally scheduled September completion date.[3]

The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 20, 2010.[1]

Four times per year, the bridge is closed for a brief inspection to test its hinge mechanism, as mandated by the US Coast Guard.[4]

The bridge's bascule span open

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "National Register of Historic Places: Weekly list of actions taken on properties: 12/20/10 through 12/23/10". National Park Service. December 30, 2010. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 Engstrom, Ian C. (2008). "Chapter 14: The Historic Rehabilitation of the Market Street Bridge in Chattanooga, TN". In Adeli, Hojjat. Historic Bridges: Evaluation, Preservation, and Management. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. p. 265. ISBN 978-1-4200-7995-1. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Market Street Bridge Project: What's Happening". Mountain States Contractors. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
  4. ↑ http://www.nooga.com/165186/photos-testing-the-market-street-bridge/
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