8 Months Since Helene: 4 state-owned bridges still closed in Northeast Tenn.
TRI-CITIES, Tenn. (WJHL) — Eight months after Hurricane Helene flooded regional waterways and took some homes and numerous bridges with it, four state-owned bridges remain closed, including a heavily traveled passage in Elizabethton.
On Sept. 27, Helene flooded rivers and creeks as it brought unprecedented rainfall to the area. Some of the most impacted waterways were the Nolichucky, Doe and Elk rivers.
Bridges that cross over those rivers were largely wiped out, adding several minutes to emergency response times and nearly an hour to community members' commutes.
SEE ALSO: ETSU preps for start of hurricane season while reflecting on Helene
The Tennessee Department of Transportation's (TDOT) Region 1 Communications Officer Mark Nagi told News Channel 11 on Tuesday that the following bridges still remain closed as a result of Hurricane Helene:
SR 67 bridge in Carter County (Broad St. Bridge)
SR 159/US 321 in Carter and Johnson Counties (Poga bridges [x2])
SR 353 in Washington County (Bailey Bridge)
TDOT initially planned for the Broad Street Bridge in Elizabethton to reopen at the end of May. However, on April 2, TDOT announced the opening would be delayed until the beginning of July.
Two bridges in the Poga and Elk Mills communities of Carter County are being rebuilt with $10 million in grant funding. Tennessee and FEMA approved the grant to restore the two-lane bridges, located about a mile apart along the Elk River. That funding comes from FEMA's Public Assistance Program.
The Bailey Bridge in the South Central community of Washington County is expected to be completed by May 2026, according to TDOT.
Much progress has been made, though, as TDOT rebuilt and opened both the Kinser Bridge in Greene County and the Taylor Bridge in Washington County well ahead of schedule.
'Of the 49 sections of state/local routes initially closed due to the damage caused by Hurricane Helene in September 2024, 46 have reopened,' Nagi previously stated in a release.
In addition to the above TDOT-managed bridges, Washington County's government was awarded $6.8 million to replace the Corby Bridge near Limestone.
Long Hollow Road in Carter County also has a bridge at one end of the roadway that remains closed.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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