The much-traveled County Highway 10 bridge carrying vehicle traffic over the BNSF Railway Classification Yard reopened Wednesday.
The bridge, built in 1985, had been closed since March 6 for a nearly $5 million rehabilitation project.
Knox County Board Chairman Jared Hawkinson stated “It’s truly amazing how many people rely on this bridge on a daily basis, myself included, and how this 6.5 month closure affected daily commuting. The temporary closure of the bridge was a much needed rehabilitation led by Knox County Engineer Duane Ratermann to ensure the safety of commuters and to extend the life of the bridge into the future.
“While the bridge closure lasted a little longer than anticipated due to some weather and supply chain issues, it was close to on time opening.”
Hawkinson said final cost is still being calculated but it is believed that due to the due diligence of the teams responsible for the project, the final cost could be well below the earlier mentioned project cost.