A ferry service across the mighty river was first established in the area in 1818 and later moved to "downtown" Clifton where it continued operation until 1998. There has always been a special bond between the river and the town. Today, Main Street, lined with quaint shops and businesses, ends at a public observation area overlooking the river.
Bridge Collapse: At approximately 9:45 a.m. on May 16, 1995, the two-plus spans of the steel superstructure collapsed while erection was in progress. Figure 1-3 shows the bridge site within hours of the collapse. This photograph shows a cross frame from the steel superstructure that was being worked on at the time of the collapse still being held by the crane.
A ferry service across the mighty river was first established in the area in 1818 and later moved to "downtown" Clifton where it continued operation until 1998, three years after the bridge disaster when the new bridge collapsed into the Tennessee River. There has always been a special bond between the river and the town, and today Main Street, lined with quaint shops and businesses, ends at a public observation area overlooking the river.
A Tennessee Civil War Trails marker titled "Forrest Crosses Tennessee River" sits next to the observation area.
With a prison population capacity of 1,676, the total population of Clifton was 2,691 at the 2020 census.
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc., (WJE) began an investigation on May 17, 1995, to make a determination of the cause of the collapse. The first work was to observe the removal and demolition of the steel members. This also provided an opportunity to identify each member and to examine and record conditions at the site. Access to the structural members was an immediate problem. Many members of interest came to rest below the surface of the Tennessee River.
The removal operation was carried out with recognition of the urgency to clear the main channel for river traffic. Within a few days of the collapse, divers were used to document the condition of the structural members before demolition operations. The general contractor decided to use linear explosives to cut the massive girders into manageable lengths for removal from the river. During the course of this work, Pier 14 fell into the river. As the pieces of the girder were removed, they were taken to open areas along the Hardin County riverbank and laid out for examination. The last pieces of structural steel were removed by the end of July 1995. Investigative work at the site was essentially completed in early August 1995. Removal of steel samples for metallographic examination began the beginning of November 1995. This metallographic examination work was completed in early 1996.
While the removal work progressed, documents and information relevant to the erection of the bridge and its collapse were assembled. These documents provided background information for the investigation.
Prior to this time when the bridge was finally completed, and the investigaton completed, there was a ferry you would take to go back and forth across the river. The ferry would dock at the end of Main Street, and you would walk down the incline to the ferry and be taken to the other side of the river.