If you haven’t traveled to SOR lately, then you may be shocked as you leave Kingston headed south.
Typically, as you would round the curve at Southwest Point baseball field heading south, you would begin whispering a small prayer that there wasn’t a big log truck heading north. There was barely enough room to meet a Chevy Geo on the bridge, much less a transfer truck.
With palm’s sweaty and butt cheeks squeezed tight, you would approach the bridge with all hopes of making it across without leaving some paint on the side of the bridge or on a passing car.
As dangerously narrow as this bridge may have been, this structure of steel, concrete, and asphalt had a since of pride about it…..after all, it was the Gateway to South of the River.
The old bridge has now been replaced by a much more attractive and much, much, much wider bridge. But though it is a pleasure to drive across the new bridge, a piece of SOR history now seems gone.
Just think how many times your directions to outsiders included “…..go across the green bridge…” Or for those who still remember, “….go across the blue bridge…” That’s right. The bridge was once blue. Former DOT employee and SOR historian Ed Rose informed me that when they were painting the bridge green, a woman pleaded with him to paint it “anything but green!” To which he replied that if she wanted to buy the paint, he would paint it any color she liked.
The old bridge served many purposes. Not only was it an ideal geographic landmark for giving directions, but it was also a great place to dispose of high-jacked pumpkins during Halloween. Many pumpkins have been stuck on top of the metal railings to give a “Headless Horseman” type of decoration during Halloween night.
Built in 1929, the bridge stood the test of time and served as the Gateway to South of the River for 76 years. The bridge has seen many changes over the years including when it was raised 15 ft due to the rise in the river in 1942.
So as we stop to remember the old bridge, below is the TVA video clip of the bridge being dropped into the river.
South of the River Bridge – Highway 58 Kingston TN (1.5 mb)