Chattanooga Wilcox Bridge Replacement Set for Late 2026 Start
Chattanooga’s planned replacement of the Wilcox Boulevard Bridge remains in planning and pre-construction, with work expected to begin in late 2026 and finish by Aug. 31, 2029, according to the city’s project hub.
The approximately $54.5 million project will replace the bridge over the DeButts Railyard in East Chattanooga’s District 8. The new bridge is planned immediately south of the existing structure, allowing the current bridge to remain open during construction, although it will continue operating under weight limits.
Construction has not begun. The city says the selected construction manager is still providing pre-construction services and preparing sub-bids for materials and specialty trades while the engineering design is finalized.
Bridge is designed to restore restricted access
The replacement is intended to restore access for vehicles that are restricted or prohibited by the existing bridge’s weight limits. That includes CARTA buses, fire trucks and heavy freight.
The project also is intended to improve connections between East Chattanooga and the Riverwalk. The planned structure includes a 12.5-foot multi-use path and a separate 6.5-foot pedestrian walkway. A four-foot buffer will separate the pedestrian walkway from traffic.
Keeping the current bridge open with weight limits while the replacement is built is part of the project’s off-alignment construction plan. That approach is intended to maintain a route across the railyard during the construction period, while the new structure is built alongside the existing one.
Rail coordination and construction plan
Because the bridge will span the DeButts Railyard, the project requires coordination with Norfolk Southern and CSX. The city identifies both railroads in the project planning, along with the work needed to build over the active rail corridor.
The city is using a Construction Manager/General Contractor, or CM/GC, delivery model. Under that approach, the construction manager participates before construction begins while the design and pricing work continue.
Alfred Benesch & Company is finalizing the engineering design. A Tennessee Department of Transportation request for proposals identifies the project as TDOT Project No. 33LCIT-F3-010 and gives an estimated construction cost of no more than $41 million. That figure is separate from the city’s broader approximately $54.5 million total project estimate.
Funding and next steps
The project’s listed funding includes $12.911 million from Chattanooga, a $25 million federal RAISE grant, $10 million from Norfolk Southern, $5 million from TDOT and $100,000 from Hamilton County.
The city’s current schedule calls for construction to start in late 2026, while the TDOT procurement document lists August 2026 as an anticipated start and August 2029 as an anticipated completion. Both schedules are estimates and may change as design, procurement and railroad coordination advance.
For now, the next step is continued pre-construction work: finalizing the design, preparing specialty-trade bids and coordinating the bridge replacement with the railroads. The city lists Aug. 31, 2029, as the expected completion date, but that date is not a guarantee that the bridge will be open by then.
Sources
- Wilcox Blvd. Bridge Replacement, City of Chattanooga
- CMGC#09 Wilcox Boulevard Bridge Replacement Request for Proposal, Tennessee Department of Transportation
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