Earnest Bridge On Chuckey Pike Might Be Salvageable Afterall

Further inspection of the Earnest Bridge has revealed signs that it might be repairable after all.  That news comes a day after officials were told that the damages appeared to be too extensive for repair.

The waters of the river are almost back to normal levels, which have allowed for a better look at the piers upon which the bridge sits.  As the water clears and inspection of the bases can take place, officials with TDOT are now hopeful that it can be used.

The most visible damage was to the top of the bridge and to the approach road on the south side.  Some bank erosion where Rheatown Creek flows into the river had undercut the north side.

Should the bridge be structurally sound, temporary side barricades may be erected and the bridge reduced to one lane while repairs take place.  The final inspections will come in the next few days.

The high waters also washed away the large pillars of limestone that formed the base of the original Earnest Bridge.  That bridge was one of many that washed away in the 1977 floods.  The pillar rising out of the middle of the river was built in 1903 using stones from 1869 Earnest toll bridge.

The area includes the historic Earnest Fort House and Henry and Peter Earnest House.  Henry Earnest settled along the banks of the Nolichuckey in 1774 and build the Earnest Fort House in 1977.

It’s not the first collapse of the bridge.  In 1967, the west span of the bridge collapsed into the river under the weight of a tractor trailer loaded with earth moving equipment.  The accident happened around 6:45 AM on April 12, 1967.  According to the Greeneville Sun story from that time, Thomas D. Gregory of Route 5 was killed when his hauler fell through the bridge and pinned him underneath the pan of the earth mover in about 12′ of water.  He was employed by the D. L Shelton Construction Company.  Rescuers worked about five hours to free his body.

The floods of 1977 also washed out the last bridge.  The rains began on a Sunday, November 6, and raised the river to its second highest level recorded at 21.51′, as measured in Embreeville.  Much of that rain fell in North Carolina in the river’s headwaters. Ten people died in North Carolina and one person died in Unicoi County.  More than 20 bridges were damaged or destroyed.

 

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