Gay Street Bridge, Knoxville

A 1,512-foot (461 m) structure crossing the Tennessee River, linking downtown Knoxville to its southern part, the Gay Street Bridge is an impressive element of the city skyline. Completed in 1898, this is the oldest of four vehicle bridges in Knoxville. Its temporary pontoon prototype was built at this site during the American Civil War, around 1860.

A number of permanent bridges that appeared here later on suffered ill fate. The first one, supported by stone piers, built by Union General Ambrose E. Burnside, was washed away in a flood in March 1867. A replacement covered bridge, built by Knox County and opened on May 2, 1875, was blown down by a tornado shortly afterward. The county then sold the surviving piers and rights-of-way to G. W. Saulpaw, who built a wooden Howe truss bridge here in 1880. That bridge stood until 1898, when it was demolished upon the completion of the Gay Street Bridge.

The present arched, steel spandrel-braced (cantilevered) bridge features a concrete deck, and was designed by Charles E. Fowler. The latter boasted that he had hastily sketched the bridge's design—which was chosen over three other bids—on the back of an envelope during his train ride to Knoxville to meet with county officials. Construction of the bridge began in 1897. Due to the scarcity of construction materials during the Spanish–American War, Fowler was forced to modify his original design, and was constantly bickering with Knox County officials over who should pay the extra costs. Curiously, at the time, Knox County issued a statement proclaiming the bridge "for the use of all the world except Spain," in reference to the war which had been raging throughout the year.

The Gay Street Bridge opened to traffic on July 9, 1898. Originally, its deck contained trolley tracks and thus accelerated residential development in the Island Home Park area on the south side of the river, which had previously been isolated from downtown Knoxville. These tracks, however, were removed in 1950. Today, the deck consists of two vehicle lanes, each flanked by a pedestrian sidewalk.

Engineering journals, such as Engineering News and Bridge Engineering, have praised Gay Street Bridge for its combination of safety and aesthetics.