ONEIDA | King General Contracting, the Cookeville-based construction firm that is currently working on a bridge over Pine Creek on O&W Road, has been awarded a bid to replace the currently-closed railroad overpass on Niggs Creek Road in Oneida.
The so-called High Point Bridge has been closed since Spring 2024, when the TN Dept. of Transportation condemned it after it scored low on an inspection.
King General Contracting was awarded the bid at Monday’s meeting of the Scott County Finance Committee. The bid for just over $1.9 million was one of two submitted. The other, by Southern Construction in Knoxville, was for more than $3.5 million.
The new bridge will be similar in size to the existing bridge, although Scott County Road Superintendent Kelvin King previously said there would be some minor adjustments in height and width due to requirements of Norfolk-Southern Railroad.
Construction of the bridge on O&W Road, which is located just west of the Toomey Road intersection near the Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area, began last month. That project is expected to be completed later this fall. The O&W Road bridge was ordered closed by TDOT after the state agency closed the High Point Bridge. However, the design process of the High Point Bridge took longer due to the involvement of the railroad, which was required to approve the design at various stages.