Easterly Bridge on Poplar Springs Road was destroyed by the flooding Nolichucky River when Hurricane Helene caused the river to flood to historic levels in September 2024.
It’s been nearly two years since the historic flood that damaged other bridges in Greene County and every other bridge under Greene County’s or the state of Tennessee’s authority has been repaired or rebuilt in that time. However, Easterly Bridge remains collapsed as it was not given a fast track status by state and federal officials.
Some studies and surveys were able to be completed quickly or skipped entirely for other bridges such as the Kinser Bridge on Erwin Highway, which allowed that bridge to be completed in May 2025. Similar studies and surveys were not waived for Easterly Bridge.
While it has taken more time, the process to rebuild Easterly Bridge is slowly moving forward.
The bridge is being rebuilt through the FEMA Public Assistance program. As a result, work to be completed includes architectural and engineering design services that use best construction practices and applicable codes and standards.
Total estimated replacement costs of the bridge have been put at $6.2 million, with federal government funds expected to cover 75% of the cost, just over $4.6 million.
The cost estimate was generated using FEMA’s Rapid Assessment with Public Infrastructure Data, which uses geospatial and aerial imagery as well as available Federal Highway Administration and State Department of Transportation data. The scope of work could be updated when the method of repair, surveys and assessments are completed.
A professional services contract was signed on May 12, 2025 with engineering firm Robert Campbell & Associates.
That set in motion a timeline of permitting and paperwork or the bridge that has been moving forward over the past year, and still has steps remaining.
According to information provided by Greene County Mayor Kevin Morrison, a survey of the bridge area began on August 26, 2025, and the preliminary design process for the new bridge started on December 5, 2025.
Preliminary plans and hydraulic analysis were submitted to TDOT on April 7, 2026, and TDOT approved those items on April 21.
The structural design process for the new bridge began June 1.
Required geotechnical explorations are set to begin Tuesday, September 8.
Structural plans for the bridge are set to be submitted to TDOT for review around November 15. TDOT’s approval of the plans is expected in mid-January 2027.
Permitting with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, United States Army Crops of Engineers, and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is expected to begin around mid-March 2027.
However, FEMA will be the lead agency in the permit approval process, and it is unknown how long the agency will take in completing the process.
Therefore, it is currently estimated that construction likely will not begin on the bridge until sometime around summer 2027.
The Easterly Bridge was built in in 1986 and spanned the Nolichucky River at Poplar Springs Road at 416 feet in length. The bridge was washed off its piers and lays in the water, nearly fully intact, on the north side of the river. Poplar Springs Road is about 11 miles southeast of Greeneville, and connects the Newport Highway with Bright Hope Road.
CONWAY BRIDGE
While Easterly Bridge is the only Greene County bridge left to repair, another bridge that impacts Greene County residents that remains out is Conway Bridge.
Conway Bridge was also destroyed when floodwaters from when Hurricane Helene swept through eastern Tennessee in late September 2024. The bridge crosses the Nolichucky River into Cocke County, connecting Fish Hatchery Road to the Briar Thicket area of Cocke County.
While the Greene/Cocke County line is in the middle of the river, ownership and maintenance of the bridge is the responsibility of Cocke County.
FEMA funding for the Cocke County bridge has been granted as well, and the reconstruction process for that project is moving forward, albeit slowly, as well.
