The plan to build a pedestrian bridge over the Tennessee River in Knoxville, Tenn. cleared another hurdle recently amid uncertainty over whether the Trump administration would follow through on federal money promised to make the project happen.
The proposed South Waterfront Pedestrian Bridge is designed to connect the University of Tennessee (UT) campus to property across the river.
City officials were contacted July 2, 2025, by a representative from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to schedule a kickoff meeting to "discuss the project and RAISE grant process, important dates, etc.," according to a letter obtained by the Knoxville News Sentinel.
The letter represents a promising development after the city was awarded the grant in the final weeks of President Joe Biden's term. Knoxville officials will now determine a timeline for the $60 million project once its contract with the federal government is finalized, city spokesperson Kristin Farley said.
"The correspondence we received this week is just a next step," she said. "We remain optimistic that everything around this project will continue to move forward."
Local leaders quietly wondered if the bridge grant would be among the sweeping cuts made by President Donald Trump's administration.
Funding for the bridge will come from a variety of sources, including $24.7 million from the new federal grant and another $20 million from the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT). In addition, Knoxville's Community Development Corp. will contribute $15 million in tax increment financing money collected on a 750-acre area from Island Home Avenue to Scottish Pike.
Worries Mounted Over the Bridge's Future
The Trump administration update on the federal funding was a long time coming, the News Sentinel noted.
When city officials were told on Jan. 10, 2025, that they had won the grant, USDOT also said it would send the city the next steps to complete "within the next month." Knoxville leaders then waited until early July 2025 to get any further information from Washington.
Federal law protects against presidents refusing to spend money already obligated by Congress, but Knoxville's grant had not actually been obligated, only awarded. The July 2 contact from the USDOT was the next step in that process.
Knoxville's pedestrian bridge project hinges on a grant from the federal transportation agency distributed through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and emphasizes environmental and racial equity initiatives favored by the Biden administration.
After Trump was sworn into his second term, USDOT updated its grant application criteria, eliminating advice to describe how a project helps affordable transportation, pollution, climate change and improving quality of life. For example, the department is targeting projects that improve bicycle infrastructure, according to a report from Transportation For America.
Knoxville officials received a letter April 24 from USDOT warning them against engaging in diversity, equity and inclusion practices, the News Sentinel reported.
"It is the policy of the department to award and to continue to provide federal financial assistance only to those recipients who comply with their legal obligations," U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in the letter.
Farley told the Knoxville news source at the time that city officials are "monitoring federal funding and have been in touch with our congressional offices."
Knoxville applied for the grant under the Biden administration twice before and was denied on each occasion. The second application received a high score, though, allowing the city to resubmit it for reconsideration without having to make any changes.
The grant was finally awarded after Knoxville seized on a last-minute opportunity to reapply for the federal funds at the end of 2024.
Bridge Changes Pile Up on River
Meanwhile, the future of travel between South Knoxville and the downtown area remains unclear.
City officials closed the nearby Gay Street Bridge in June 2024 after an inspection revealed critical damage. They later announced it would never reopen for vehicles, a huge blow for the 7,000 daily travelers who crossed the 127-year-old structure.
Repairs that will allow pedestrians and bicyclists to use it are under way and will likely be completed by the end of this year, the News Sentinel noted, although they are envisioned as only a short-term fix. Drivers have had to use the Henley Street Bridge and the James White Parkway as alternatives.
A potentially new Gay Street Bridge will require a buy-in from state and federal partners. That could be a tall order, however, considering that a regional partner like the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization, a federally mandated body that provides comprehensive transportation planning, already has a long and expensive wait list for projects.
Knoxville's 2006 South Waterfront Vision Plan was designed to tackle isolation and historic underinvestment in South Knoxville communities. The proposed pedestrian bridge is a central part of that plan and would connect South Knoxville near Clancy Avenue to the UT campus near Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center.
Its primary goal is to provide affordable transportation options to and from South Knoxville, as well as open up new construction avenues for the university. The only alternatives to driving to the area are walking or biking on existing highways and bridges, which have traffic counts of more than 32,500 vehicles per day, according to the city's grant application.
The university is bound by a memorandum of understanding with Knoxville to follow local and state construction guidelines and see the project through.
UT System President Randy Boyd, who grew up in the neighborhood where the bridge will land, told the News Sentinel that he is personally invested in the success of South Knoxville.
"For me, I'm so excited for what [the bridge] is going to do for that part of my hometown," he said.
