Market Street Bridge (Chattanooga) on:
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The Market Street Bridge, officially referred to as the John Ross Bridge, is a
Old photograph
from the
Bridges of the Midwest
*
Restoration ProjectVideo of bridge being opened for quarterly test
{{NRHP Bascule bridges in the United States Bridges completed in 1917 Bridges over the Tennessee River Bridges in Chattanooga, Tennessee Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Tennessee U.S. Route 127 Drawbridges on the National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in Chattanooga, Tennessee Steel bridges in the United States Concrete bridges in the United States
The Market Street Bridge, officially referred to as the John Ross Bridge, is a bascule bridge
A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- or ...
that spans the Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names, ...
between downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...
, and the Northshore District. It carries North Market Street (formerly designated as U.S. Route 127), and was named in honor of Cherokee
The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...
Chief John Ross. The bridge was completed in 1917 at a cost of $1.1 million. In the mid-1970s, the southern terminus of US 127 was moved several miles north to the intersection of Dayton
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...
Boulevard and Signal Mountain Boulevard in the nearby suburb of Red Bank.
The bridge has concrete arch spans flanking a center draw span, which is a steel truss with double-leaf Scherzer rolling lift bascule mechanism. The double-leaf bascule lift span stands approximately 70 feet above the water. At the time of its completion in 1917, the main span was the longest rolling-lift bascule span in the world. Vehicular traffic originally included streetcar
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
s, but streetcar service across the bridge ended in the 1930s. The bridge was formally renamed the Chief John Ross Bridge in 1950.
The bridge closed in 2005 for a renovation, but reopened on August 4, 2007, ahead of its originally scheduled September completion date.
The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
on December 20, 2010.
Four times per year, the bridge is closed for a brief inspection to test its hinge mechanism, as mandated by the US Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, multi ...
.
See also
* * * *List of crossings of the Tennessee River
This is a list of bridges and other crossings of the Tennessee River from the Ohio River upstream to its source(s).
Crossings
See also
*
*
*
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* {{Portal-inline, United States
* List of crossings of the Ohio River
*
Tennessee River
...
References
External links
Old photograph
from the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...
Bridges of the Midwest
*
Restoration Project
{{NRHP Bascule bridges in the United States Bridges completed in 1917 Bridges over the Tennessee River Bridges in Chattanooga, Tennessee Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Tennessee U.S. Route 127 Drawbridges on the National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in Chattanooga, Tennessee Steel bridges in the United States Concrete bridges in the United States