Bird’s Bridge has been deemed repairable, which will be a huge cost savings to Greene County as it rebuilds from the floods of Hurricane Helene.
County Highway Superintendent Kevin Swatsell said that final inspections of the bridge across the river showed that it can be repaired rather than replaced. That saves potentially millions of dollars on the bridge which is owned by Greene County. Swatsell said there had been some scouring around the base of the pillars upon which the bridge stands, but that can be repaired.
The rushing waters and debris that slammed into the bridge in late September actually moved the bridge around 6 inches, but Swatsell has said he had hoped from the beginning that the despite the movement of the bridge, it could be salvaged. The bridge has seen hard times before due to the Nolichuckey. In 2004 a sand dredging barge broke free and became wedged against the bridge for several hours, but caused no lasting damage. The bridge also holds a water line that services the south side of the river by the Glen Hills Utility District.
Poplar Springs bridge, which was destroyed, is also owned by the county, and could potentially cost several million dollars to rebuild. Allen’s Bridge Road, the other county owned bridge, was relatively undamaged by the floods.
The other bridges over the Nolichucky are state owned bridges. TDOT will be responsible for the cost of replacing Kinser bridge on the Erwin Highway and the repairs to Earnest Bridge on Chuckey Pike. The state is also responsible for the repair and clean up around Jones Bridge, which had damage to the approach road on the north side. Some repair will also be needed to the banks and around the piers at the Asheville Highway bridge, although it remains structurally sound. The Newport Highway bridge was largely unaffected by the water and debris.
