Veterans Memorial Bridge (Chattanooga)

The Veterans Memorial Bridge is a steel girder bridge in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was built in 1984 and has a main span of 420 feet (130 m). It carries Georgia Avenue across the Tennessee River, and McLellan Sanctuary at Audubon Island, which is an animal sanctuary on an island on the river. It is one of 4 bridges that cross the Tennessee River at downtown Chattanooga.^[1] There are at least 13 other bridges by the name Veterans Memorial Bridge in the United States of America.^[2]

The Veterans Memorial Bridge was built with the intention to honor American veterans for their time and commitment to the United States of America. The bridge is a testament of the community of Chattanooga, Tennessee’s patriotism as well as shows how strong the community is when it unites. The Veterans Memorial Bridge helps tell the story of veterans by remaining strong and well kept by the community. The bridge also honors veterans by flying American flags, which are replaced twice a year. The flags were originally placed on the Veterans Memorial Bridge by an anonymous donor, who spent over $40,000 out of his own pocket every year to ensure the flags were replaced and in good condition.^[3] The flags represent the valor, bravery, and courage of the honored veterans. After the anonymous donor stopped replacing the flags, a local Chattanooga citizen, Scott McKenzie, arranged for the flags to be sponsored by people in the community.^[4] Now, the people of Chattanooga can honor individual veterans by donating a flag for the Veterans Memorial Bridge. Organizations of Chattanooga also participate in giving back to veterans by donating flags for the bridge.

Contributions to the Community

The Veterans Memorial Bridge is an important part of the Chattanooga community, participating in various events such as the Great Chattanooga Rubber Duck Race and the Girls Preparatory School’s 100th year celebration. The Great Chattanooga Rubber Duck Race is very similar to the Great Knoxville Rubber Duck Race. Both races are fundraisers for children’s clubs in the Tennessee area. The club that Chattanooga’s duck race is fundraising for is the Boys’ Club of Chattanooga, INC. During the Great Chattanooga Rubber Duck Race, portions of the Veterans Memorial Bridge are closed down to allow people to view the duck race from above.^[5] When the race is over, the sponsors are responsible for the area on the bridge that was closed; they must replace traffic control devices and clean up trash. Another event that the Veterans Memorial Bridge played an important part in was the Girls Preparatory School’s 100th birthday celebration. During this 2005 celebration, the entire school marched across the Veterans Memorial Bridge to the school’s events, which included speakers and a program of videos. Like the duck race, part of the bridge was closed for the girls to travel safely across to the other side.^[6]

Rules and Regulations

Due to safety hazards, it is prohibited for citizens to skateboard or roller-skate on the Veterans Memorial Bridge.^[7]

In order to keep the integrity of the bridge, there is a strict code for advertisements on the Veterans Memorial Bridge. For an advertisement to be placed near the bridge, it has to follow regulations.^[8]

Improvements from the Community

In 2011, Mr. Dan Johnson purchased lights to exchange for the old ones on Veterans Memorial Bridge; the lights under the bridge are new lighting. The lights will be operated at 50% capacity and Police will have the ability to change the capacity from their computers.^[9]

See also

• List of crossings of the Tennessee River
• Chattanooga Bridges

Coordinates: 35°03′25″N 85°18′09″W / 35.0570°N 85.3025°W / 35.0570; -85.3025

References