Postcard view of Olgiati Bridge from the late 1960s. Click to enlarge.
Like stitches that form the seam joining two pieces of cloth, Chattanooga’s bridges bring together the two shores of the Tennessee River. Each span has its own history of being planned, designed, and constructed. Some have been around long enough to have been renovated. However, some bridge projects never progressed farther than the conceptual stage.
THE MARKET STREET BRIDGE OF 1884
In 1884, the north shore was booming with development, led by men whose names appear on street maps of the area today: Robert M. Barton, Samuel Frazier, and Charles Stivers. The new community was called Hill City, and was an appealing location for those wanting to live close to town but not too close. Commuting to Chattanooga, though, was problematic due to the lack of a bridge. The flood of 1867 had destroyed the three year-old wooden military bridge built during the Civil War near Market Street. Citizens resumed using ferry boats to cross the river.
The developers of Hill City approached the Hamilton County government with a plan for a new bridge at Market Street. However, it was rejected due to the area north of the river still being too rural.
The north shore developers were successful on the second try. In 1889, a new bridge plan was submitted that included a new location – Walnut Street – and $200,000 in financing via five-percent county bonds and a $25,000 donation from the residents of Hill City. The Walnut Street Bridge was completed in 1891, and still serves us today as a linear pedestrian park. In 1917, a second bridge was added at the previously planned Market Street location. Its actual name is the Chief John Ross Bridge.
CHATTANOOGA ISLAND BRIDGE AND SIXTH STREET BRIDGE TO MOCCASIN BEND
In 1911, developer Charles E. James offered Hamilton County $150,000 towards building two bridges. One would cross Chattanooga Island where present-day Veterans Bridge is located. Mr. James also proposed the donation of Chattanooga Island itself for use as a public park, similar to an amusement park across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. The design of the bridge included a stairway leading down to the park.
The second bridge would cross the river from West Sixth Street on Cameron Hill to Moccasin Bend. C. E. James envisioned a new road leading from the Bend to Signal Mountain, where he was developing the Signal Point Inn and the community of Signal Mountain.
THE MAIN STREET BRIDGE OF1928
By 1928, vehicular traffic was becoming a problem for Chattanooga. U.S. 27 was a major route into the city from the north, and all cars had to cross the Market Street Bridge and then proceed through crowded downtown before leaving the city. A plan was developed for an extension of U.S. 27 south into the northern part of Moccasin Bend, and a combination rail/automobile bridge across the river to Main Street. The railroad aspect of the bridge was seen as a time and money-saver, as trains would be able to avoid the circuitous route into town across the Cincinnati Southern Bridge (still there today near Chickamauga Dam). The new road would also open Moccasin Bend for development.
BROWNS FERRY AND TENTH STREET BRIDGES
In 1931, plans were announced for a federally-funded bridge at Brown’s Ferry in Lookout Valley. Roland Olmsted of the city planning board noted that “the historical importance of Brown’s Ferry has never really been sensed by Chattanooga.” The site had been very important during the Civil War, yet had not been commemorated like Chickamauga Battlefield and Missionary Ridge. Federal troops under Gen. Sherman had crossed the river there, a move that paved the way for the Union victory at Chattanooga. Gen Ulysses Grant referred to the crossing at Brown’s Ferry as one of the most strategic events of the war. The new span was to be called the Grant-Sherman Bridge.
The overall plan included the Brown’s Ferry Bridge, a new road across Moccasin Bend, and a second crossing of the river via a new Tenth Street Bridge. As with the Main Street Bridge plan of 1928, development of Moccasin Bend and smoother flow of traffic into Chattanooga were seen as benefits. No longer would east-west traffic have to travel along the winding Wauhatchie Pike.
MAIN STREET BRIDGE OF 1948
In 1948, Mayor Hugh P. Wasson revived plans for a bridge at Main Street. He felt that a transportation improvement plan was the city’s number one priority, and that the new entrance into Chattanooga was mandatory. “If Chattanooga is going to grow, the people must have an opportunity to get in and out of our city,” he said. He also proposed a new tunnel through Missionary Ridge at Main Street. In the pre-Interstate Highway year of 1948, Main Street and McCallie Avenue were major routes into Chattanooga.
PINE STREET BRIDGE
In 1948, Hamilton County Judge Wilkes T. Thrasher proposed a third downtown bridge as a solution to alleviate traffic problems in the city. Thrasher had led the acquisition of funding for the Highway 153 bridge that bears his name today, and felt that a new central city bridge should also be a joint federal/county/city endeavor. Chattanooga Streets and Sewers Commissioner Olgiati also favored the plan for a new bridge, and continued to champion the cause after becoming mayor in 1951.
A bridge linking Pine Street to Cherokee Boulevard was evaluated during the site selection process. However, in 1954, it was announced that the location would be at Cedar Street, which had the advantage of being a “high-ground” bridge that would not require a drawbridge mechanism or high arches. The south end of the bridge would be atop a filled-in ravine between Cameron Hill and Reservoir Hill. The “Cedar Street Bridge” proved to be just a working title, as it was named the “Olgiati Bridge” during its dedication ceremony in 1959. The bridge was not originally announced as being part of a freeway. However, by 1959, the highway now known as U.S. 27 had taken shape following the demolition of many homes and the excavation of tons of earth.
THE INTERSTATE 24 CANAL ACROSS MOCCASIN BEND
In 1959, plans were finalized for the route that Interstate 24 would follow into Chattanooga from the west. The freeway would wrap around the foot of Lookout Mountain, with considerable landfill and excavation required to build the base of the highway. A somewhat incredible plan called for a canal and dams across the neck of Moccasin Bend, which would make I-24’s route into the city a straighter one than what we have today. The canal would also shorten the travel time of river barges. The U.S. Bureau of Public Roads rejected the plan.
CENTRAL AVENUE FREEWAY AND WALNUT STREET BRIDGE REPLACEMENT
During the 1970’s, there was considerable discussion and controversy over how to replace the aging Walnut Street Bridge. The notion of a Central Avenue Freeway had been discussed many times before, but came up again in a 1975 “Central Avenue Corridor Study.” The plan called for two new bridges. One would connect Georgia Avenue to Barton Avenue, and came to fruition as the Veterans Bridge of today. The other bridge would link the southern end of Hixson Pike in Riverview to a new Central Avenue Freeway. The route would go through the Chattanooga Golf and Country Club on the north shore, and Lincoln Park on the south. After protests from residents all along the route, the plan for the Central Avenue Freeway and bridge was rejected.
The Veterans Bridge location was also the subject of debate, with the Georgia/Barton location eventually being chosen over Lookout/Tremont and Broad Street/Cherokee Boulevard sites.
RIVER CROSSINGS PROPOSED IN RECENT YEARS
I was not able to find the exact dates or details, but I am familiar with at least two other river crossings that were briefly considered. After a ferry upstream of Hamilton County was replaced by a bridge, the ferry’s owner talked with government leaders about running it between Chester Frost Park and Harrison Bay. A ferry had been operated between Dallas and Harrison during the 1800’s, so it wasn’t an entirely new idea.
During a transportation planning meeting that I attended a few years ago, a new bridge near Sequoyah was proposed, with plans to link Highway 111 to Cleveland.
SUMMARY
Lack of funding, cost outweighing benefit, and public opinion likely all played a role in these bridges being just “planned spans.” The Main Street Bridge and Brown’s Ferry plans might have saved the beauty and historic significance of Cameron Hill at the expense of Moccasin Bend. What are your thoughts? Which bridge(s) do you feel would help you in your travels around the area? Send me an e-mail at jolleyh@signaldata.net, and I’ll summarize your feedback in a future article.