I-275 Over Elm Street (CMGC06 Knoxville)

BELL Construction completed a high-profile replacement of the I-275 bridge over Elm Street and Bernard Avenue in Knoxville using Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC). This project was a major “rapid-response” infrastructure feat designed to replace a bridge built in the 1950s with minimal disruption to the nearly 70,000 vehicles that use that corridor daily. Before work began to demolish the existing bridge on I-275 over Elm St/Bernard Ave, set new beams, and repave the interstate, the team completed extensive preparatory work under and around the bridge. From relocating utilities and building new abutments to coordinating traffic control and pre-staging materials, every effort contributed to this project’s success.

The defining feature of this project was the use of full interstate closures to condense what would normally be years of construction into just three primary weekends. To avoid disrupting the community further, the team specifically scheduled these closures to avoid any University of Tennessee home football games, ensuring that the “Big Orange” traffic could still flow into downtown Knoxville.