Questions pile up about the Gay Street Bridge. Here's how to have a say
It's been a busy week! Sen. Bill Hagerty offered clarity on what the 2026 gubernatorial race may look like (he's running to stay in the Senate) and Knoxville announced cars will no longer be able to use the Gay Street Bridge.
Knoxville officials hope to open the bridge to pedestrians between now and early 2026, but that's only a temporary fix.
Mayor Indya Kincannon said last week city leaders will look at a long-term solution for the 7,000 vehicles that used the bridge before it closed.
But while the city followed through on its promise to release information about the bridge in "early 2025," we don't know about how leaders came to the conclusion the bridge was too expensive to fix.
Here are the questions we've heard from neighbors and business leaders:
How expensive would it have been to fix the bridge?
Will a new bridge ever be built? Who will pay for it and who will initiate that process?
How long is the lifespan for the bridge with only pedestrians? What will happen once the existing bridge is closed?
Knox News on Feb. 6 requested the results of a bridge evaluation that could provide some answers, but the mayor's office has not provided the document.
"We do not have the final Gresham Smith recommendations," city spokesperson Eric Vreeland told Knox News in an email, adding that here will be "many details" in the Knoxville City Council agenda for its March 4 meeting.
Local government is where you can make a difference, and The Key is your weekly guide to how to have your say in the decisions that shape your life.
Here's what we're watching this week.
Thee city council will discuss a $100,500 addition to Knoxville's contract with Gresham Smith to pay engineers to sort through fixes necessary to reopen the bridge for pedestrians.
The additional payment is on top of $30,000 that was added to the contract to allow Gresham Smith to hire an advisor from Charles Blalock & Sons, a big projects construction company based in Sevierville. David Brace, Kincannon's chief of staff, told Knox News that hiring a construction specialist to "validate the constructability" of the bridge will ultimately speed up the bridge's repairs.
The contract's total is $448,500, according to the Knoxville City Council's agenda.
Important date: The council will discuss and vote on the addition 6 p.m. Feb. 18.
What you can do: Contact your council member or sign up to speak at council meetings. This larger bridge issue will take years to resolve with lots of opportunities to weigh in.
Deadline: If you want to speak in front of the city council, make sure you sign up by 4 p.m. the day of the meeting by emailing wjohnson@knoxvilletn.gov or by calling the office at 865-215-2075.
Study up: The city council agenda includes information about the application. Click the "agendas" link on the city council's webpage at knoxvilletn.gov/government/city_council. Choose the "HTML" option for Feb. 17. You can download the material for this decision, which is "11.e" in the agenda. (If you're a frequent council-goer and you download agendas typically, they revamped the site. No more 500+ page downloads)!
The city council created a task force of current and former members to determine "what needs to be modernized" about its meetings, according to council member Tommy Smith, who represents South Knoxville.
The group will meet for a second time this week. A couple of issues loomed large last year, including how the city handles state laws that strip it of autonomy and how the council interacts with demonstrators at its meetings.
That means there could be some talk about the First Amendment and public comment. An agenda was not available online last last week.
Important date: The task force will meet at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 18 in the small assembly room of the City-County Building, 400 Main St.
What you can do: Contact your council member or sign up to speak at council meetings.
Deadline: If you want to speak in front of the city council, make sure you sign up by 4 p.m. the day of the meeting by emailing wjohnson@knoxvilletn.gov or by calling the office at 865-215-2075.
The Knox County Finance Committee will meet this week to discuss summary reports about the fiscal year for Knox County Schools, Knox County tax collections and investments and the county overall.
They'll also discuss state legislation that could make a difference this year for the county's finances.
Important date: The committee will meet at 2 p.m. Feb. 19 in the small assembly room of the City-County Building, 400 Main St.
What you can do: Sign up to speak!
Deadline: If you want to speak in front of the committee, sign up at the commission's website at commission.knoxcounty.gov, by emailing commission@knoxcounty.gov or calling 865-215-2534 by 4 p.m. on Feb. 18.
Study up: You can find the county's budget at the county's website, knoxcounty.org, under the "Government" tab. Hover over the tab and click the "departments A-F option" and select finance. Under "Current reports," click the budget option.
Here are highlights of this past week's coverage of the aftermath from catastrophic flooding in East Tennessee. Knox News is committed to reporting on the recovery efforts in East Tennessee in the weeks, months and years to come.
Trump administration: USDOT will try a new method to expedite I-40 repairs, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says
Good news: I-40 to reopen between Tennessee and North Carolina after Helene damage
Everything to know: East Tennessee floods: Everything to know, from rescues to recovery to Helene resources
Allie Feinberg reports on politics for Knox News. Email her: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @alliefeinberg
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Questions pile up about Gay Street Bridge. Here's how to have a say
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Donila sent Knox News a statement from Dwight Van de Vate, chief operating officer for Jacobs. "We remain in ongoing conversations with state and local officials about how best to move forward. We are appreciative of the spirit of cooperation everyone continues to show, and we are confident of a good long-term outcome for the facility and the youth it serves," Van de Vate said in his written response. Republican Knox County Commissioner Gina Oster told Knox News that "it's definitely up to each commissioner" to decide what approach they support, and she expects a robust discussion when the issue comes up in front of the commission for debate on June 16 and a vote on June 23. State Rep. Sam McKenzie does not have a vote on the matter, but is using his influence to urge commissioners to make the best decision for teens at the facility. "You can't let one person have so much control over something so valuable, or how we deal with children, and our way with children speaks to as we are as a culture," McKenzie said. He said the problems stemmed from giving one person with limited oversight control over the kids. That shouldn't happen again, he said. "I think we need to hit the pause button. Let's figure out what's wrong, bring in some outside experts. We don't have the only juvenile detention center in the country. Let's figure out how other organizations, other entities in the state, have run and how we can do this better. Because this isn't working," he said. Shifting oversight to the sheriff's office is the easy solution, he said, instead of doing hard research and collective soul-searching. "What (Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs) wants to do is to sweep it under the rug. He wants to say, just transfer it to the sheriff. And I just don't think that's the answer without a clear understanding of what's going on in the current situation," McKenzie said. Police reform activist Nzinga Amani told Knox News they are extremely concerned about what a juvenile detention center would look like under the Knox County Sheriff's Office. "There's no trust for the Knox County sheriffs. There's no accountability for that institution," Amani told Knox News. Detention centers can focus on rehabilitating young people instead of punishing them. Amani wants the oversight board restructured. "If you look at this board, the board needs to be transformed to actually represent the communities and people who are impacted by that system. So a larger board, more directly affected people on the board, more transparency, public records," Amani told Knox News. Imani Mfalme-Shu'la, executive director of the Community Defense of East Tennessee social justice organization, said the facility's documented track record of isolating kids shows a complete overhaul is needed. "They were in solitary confinement under the current administration. Not getting the education they need. I know this personally because I had a family member there. And the stuff that children are being put in solitary for is absolutely ridiculous," Mfalme-Shu'la told Knox News. The juvenile detention center was built in 1930 and is guided by an independent board of trustees. In 1972, Bean began his tenure as superintendent of the facility, named the Richard L. Bean Juvenile Detention Center in his honor, with minimal oversight. Bean is well-known for his old-fashioned way of operating the facility. That was manifested in outdated recordkeeping practices and the disciplinary methods he uses on the kids confined to the facility, who are ages 12 to 17. Myron Thompson covers public safety for Knox News. Email: This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Plan to shift juvenile detention center to the sheriff's office draws opposition
