Highway 92 Bridge, Dandridge, Tennessee
The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) proposes to replace the Highway 92 Bridge over Douglas Lake to accomodate the increasing traffic through the area. The current bridge, shown above, was constructed by the Tennessee Valley Authority as part of the Douglas Lake project in the 1940s. The The bridge replaced an earlier ferry that linked the town of Dandridge to the communities on the south side of the French Broad River. It has been recommended as eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places by the Tennessee State Historic Preservation Officer.
Dandridge is one of the oldest towns in Tennessee, and it has been claimed that it is the second oldest in the state after Jonesborough. It is know that the earliest permanent white settlers lived in the Dandridge area by 1783, and that the Hopewell Presbyterian Church was organized there by 1785. Jefferson County was established in 1792, and Dandridge was laid out as the county seat on a 50 acre tract in 1793. Dandridge was an important crossroads town from its founding, and a number of tavens were established to cater to boats plying the French Broad River and those traveling the stage coach road from Knoxville to Abingdon, Virginia. Dandridge flourished as a farm center and center of regional trade until after the Civil War when the development of railroads shifted commerce to the newly established railroad towns. Dandridge has continued to serve as a local center since that time, and has remained the county seat of Jefferson County. Many of the early buildings have survived within the town, and the Dandridge Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
A number of alternatives have been discussed by TDOT and others concerning the bridge replacement. One alternative would be to preserve the existing bridge as a type of linear park that would link Dandridge with the Point Marina across the lake that is now under construction. Under this plan, a new bridge could be erected next to the existing one, or a replacement could be built elsewhere to create a bypass around Dandridge. Another alternatiuve would be to replace the existing bridge with a bridge that would reflect a standard TDOT bridge design. A third alternative would be to preserve the existing bridge as a one way lane and construct a second bridge beside it to complete the two way pair. Yet another alternative would be to replace the existing bridge with a bridge of similar visual design.
The purpose of this web site is to provide an open forum to discuss the Highway 92 bridge and possible alternatives for preserving or replacing the existing structure. This web site was established and is maintained by private citizens from Dandridge, and is not intended to reflect official positions taken on the bridge by TDOT or the Town of Dandridge. Please feel free to e-mail your thoughts on the subject to the address provided below, and your comments will be posted on this web site so they can be shared with the entire community.
