Walnut Street Bridge Closing This Winter for Repairs

     Thousands of Chattanoogans stroll across the Walnut street bridge every week.
     But they're going to have to take a detour this winter.
     The bridge will soon shut down for repairs.
     WDEF News12's Amy Katcher joins us live from the  Bridge with the answer to "why now?"
    Amy?

    The issue is this asphalt right here on the north side of the Walnut Street Bridge...
    The city has been told it's got to be repaired or replaced.
    But the construction starting date right before Christmas has some North Shore users saying, Bah Humbug!

( Jack Benson)  "It's peeling up.  There are potholes in it.  There's a liability on that, too.  People are falling and tripping over the bad asphalt."

Beginning December 10th, construction crews will start the five month-long process of fixing this end of the Walnut Street Bridge.

(Benson)  "We're going to have to take up the asphalt and the metal underneath it and then we're going to make it all timbers so it's going to be the same material from the one side of the bridge to the other."

But that means the bridge won't be open for you to walk off those extra holiday pounds.

(Joan Nash) "A lot of people do like to walk the bridge and they stop in here when they're on this side of the river."

The Walnut Street Bridge is a holiday destination.

( Nash)  "We get a lot of tourists that come across the Walnut Street Bridge because that's something they're told by the hotels and that's such a fun walk.  And it is a fun walk."

 Benson says it's all about timing.  Far fewer people use the walking bridge in winter than they do during the summer.

( Benson)  "The census that's been taken about it's use show these are the best months." 

( Nash)  "Better to close it during the winter than during the summer because in the summer that's a constant feed in for the whole North Shore." 

If the five month estimate stays true, the bridge should reopen in early May.  But a lot of people tell us they think that's a pretty big "if."

( Benson)  "I don't recall when we've come in on schedule.  It might take longer as things like this do.  It depends upon the weather.  If the weather's good we should be on schedule."

     The entire bridge will still be open for events like the Grateful Gobbler, which goes across the bridge.
     Reporting live, Amy Katcher WDEF News12.