In case you missed it, the Gay Street Bridge was closed for the past month. Although it must pass routine inspections, the 126-year-old bridge was suddenly declared unsafe after TDOT found a “deformation of a steel beam.” TDOT announced that the bridge would remain closed until further notice while a more thorough inspection is conducted.
I’ll be honest: I had a problem with the idea that one day the bridge could support a semi-truck and the next day I could be thrown into the river if I even walked across the bridge. The bridge can support as many pedestrians, joggers and cyclists as it can automobile traffic on any given day. It seems certain that it could support pedestrians and cyclists for another hundred years. But it was closed to everyone.
This week, news came that the Tennessee Department of Transportation had completed its “thorough inspection” and concluded that further studies should be conducted following the inspection. Mayor Kincannon expressed disappointment, but said the city is working as quickly as possible to determine the remedy and associated costs. She mentioned that they will try to reopen the street to pedestrians in the meantime when it is safe to do so.
The press release states: “TDOT engineers have emphasized that with this type of truss bridge, there is no redundancy in the structure to accommodate the load should one element fail. For this reason, the City is working closely with TDOT and engaging an engineering consultant to develop a plan for the necessary repairs.” You can read the full report here: https://www.KnoxvilleTN.gov/
Let’s hope that the repairs can be carried out quickly and inexpensively. Let’s hope that the bridge can be opened to pedestrians and cyclists even sooner. Who knows, maybe it should just remain a pedestrian bridge and the other one will no longer be necessary.
And here’s one I missed: A new restaurant has opened in the Embassy Suites at 507 South Gay Street, taking over the space that used to be CJ’s Tacos. Brickstones Kitchen and Bar opened in April, when I must have been out doing other things, and it wasn’t until Urban Woman noticed the sign in the photo above that I went in to see what was up.
It turns out the restaurant is run by the hotel and not separately owned like CJ’s or Kopita across Gay Street. But it is open to the public and they want you to come and try it out. Breakfast is served to guests on the mezzanine level of the hotel in the morning, but Brickstones opens at 5pm and serves guests and the public until 11pm every night. That’s a bonus, as many downtown restaurants are closed some days and stop serving earlier on other days.
And there are foods you won’t easily find at many other downtown spots. Of course, there are burgers, pizza, and salads, but also things like Street Corn Elote Fritters (fire-roasted corn, queso fresco, lime and chipotle aioli), Stir Fry Beef Bulgogi Bowl (coconut jasmine rice with stir-fried marinated beef, shiitake mushrooms, bell peppers, broccoli, edamame, and a miso-soy broth), and Warm Cinnamon Churros A La Mode (dulce de leche ice cream on warm cinnamon churros with Mexican-spiced chocolate glaze). The latter sounds perfect as a dessert to end the evening after a night on the town.
It’s another option for dining downtown and you can enjoy views of the beautiful lobby of the Embassy Suites (one of my favorite hidden spots for hanging out).
