Construction to begin on High Point bridge
King General Contracting to begin process of replacing railroad overpass on Niggs Creek Road on Monday.
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Construction is slated to begin Monday on a new bridge at High Point, according to Scott County Road Superintendent Kelvin King.
The Niggs Creek Road overpass of Norfolk-Southern Railroad has been closed since spring 2024, when the bridge was condemned by the TN Dept. of Transportation. On Monday, Cookeville-based King General Contracting will begin a project to replace the bridge.
King General Contracting is the same firm that is currently completing the O&W Road bridge over Pine Creek. That project is in its final stages. In September 2025, it was awarded the Niggs Creek Road project after submitting a $1.9 million bid for the job. The only other bid received by the Scott County Finance Department was from Southern Construction in Knoxville, for more than $3.5 million.
The new bridge will be similar in size to the existing bridge, which was originally built in the 1940s and was heavily repaired in the 1970s after being damaged by a train. Road Superintendent Kelvin King said there will be some minor adjustments in height and width due to requirements of Norfolk-Southern.
The start of construction on a new bridge has been a long time coming because it overpasses the railroad, involving a separate entity — besides just Scott County and TDOT — in each step of the engineering process. The most recent hold-up was getting final approval for the removal of the existing bridge.