Bridge Re-Opens in Oak Grove

Informational: Oak Grove officially reopened today the Roaring Creek Bridge, which was washed out by last year's flood. Mayor Seth Montana, Sen. Warren Johns (R) and Rep. Nancy Draughorn (D) attended the event.

Analytical: Midville sought funding for the Roaring Creek Bridge nearly a year after it was destroyed by the flood. With insufficient funds, the U.S. and State government paid $600,000. The opening Ceremony for the bridge was held this morning.


A ceremony officially opened the Roaring Creek Bridge this morning.

The ceremony was attended by Midville's Mayor, Seth Montana, as well as U.S. Senator Warren Johns and U.S. Congressman Nancy Draughorn.

The opening of the bridge, which was washed out by last years’ flood, came as a relief for Midville’s inconvenienced residents.

The bridge, which spanned 33-feet over Roaring Creek, was only about a mile away from Highway 19, a main route in Midville, where a lot of residents work.

With the bridge destroyed, a lot of people have had to drive farther to reach their destinations. “We’ve had to use a lot of time and gasoline just to make what otherwise would be very short trips,” resident John Spiva said.

Roland Lively, head of the County's Department of Transportation, said “The bridge was not in great shape when it was destroyed…we didn’t have enough money to replace the bridge…we were just going to repair it."

The county didn't have sufficient funds to rebuild the bridge and sought help from other governmental agencies.

The entire bridge cost $700,000 to replace.
• $400,000 paid for by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
• $200,000 paid for by the State
• $100,000 paid for by the County

The opening of the bridge a couple of weeks ago has left Oak Ridge residents happy.

“Having this bridge erected so quickly is a blessing,” Spiva said.