James Robertson bridge to close for 2 years

By Midstate Daily News Desk · Edited by Channing Webb · Nov. 13, 2026

The red steel Victory Memorial Bridge carries James Robertson Parkway over the Cumberland River between downtown Nashville and the East Bank, with barges below (file photo, 2022) — File photo: Antony-22 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)

TLDRThe James Robertson Parkway bridge, officially the Victory Memorial Bridge, will close to traffic for about two years starting in summer 2027, the Tennessee Department of Transportation said this week. Crews will tear out the elevated East Bank approach and bring the road down to street level at South First Street, the future East Bank Boulevard. The span over the Cumberland River stays as is. TDOT expects to finish by summer 2029, ahead of the 2030 Super Bowl at the new Nissan Stadium. More than 25,000 vehicles cross the bridge each day, and official detours have not been set yet.

One of the main ways into downtown Nashville from East Nashville is going away for a while, and the state is giving drivers more than six months of warning.

The James Robertson Parkway bridge will close for two years beginning in summer 2027, the Tennessee Department of Transportation told NewsChannel 5. The closure is set to start after the Rock 'n' Roll Nashville Marathon and wrap up by summer 2029, TDOT said.

Why it takes two years

The closure is longer than first estimated because crews will place utility lines directly into the bridge, which is time-consuming work, TDOT told the station. In September, the agency had said only that the bridge would close during construction and that timing would be set once most of the design work was done.

"We know that any closure of this bridge is going to be difficult," TDOT spokesperson Erin Zeigler told NewsChannel 5.

What changes on the East Bank

The project lowers the approach to the Victory Memorial Bridge and rebuilds James Robertson Parkway between Interstate Drive and the east side of the Cumberland River, according to TDOT's project page. The large concrete sections that hold the road up over land on the East Bank will be removed, and the parkway will come down to street level at what is now South First Street.

That street is set to become East Bank Boulevard, the main north-south road through the planned 550-acre East Bank neighborhood. TDOT says the change will remove the physical and visual barrier the elevated road creates today.

"We're going to be lowering the approach to the James Robertson Parkway Bridge, and that is because we are creating a seamless street grid into the East Bank Development," Zeigler told NewsChannel 5.

The part of the bridge that crosses the river will not be touched, TDOT said.

Who is paying and who is building it

The East Bank Development Authority board on Oct. 27 approved up to $65 million for the work, WKRN and Main Street Nashville reported. The project is a partnership between Metro Nashville, TDOT and the authority. Wright Brothers Construction is designing and building it through a progressive design-build contract, which lets design and construction overlap to speed things up.

EBDA CEO Ben York said at that meeting the goal is "to remove the vertical barrier between the north and south of the East Bank at this point, recreating Main Street at an on-grade condition," Main Street Nashville reported. York also said it has not been decided whether the rebuilt road will keep today's layout of two lanes each way plus a center lane that switches direction for rush hour.

What it means for your commute

The bridge carries more than 25,000 vehicles a day, according to TDOT. The Tennessean, citing TDOT traffic counts, put the 2025 average at nearly 27,000 vehicles a day. It lands beside the Metro Courthouse on the downtown side.

TDOT has not released official detours. Main Street Nashville reported that drivers should expect heavier traffic on the Woodland Street and Korean Veterans Boulevard bridges while the work is underway.

"It's like putting eight gallons of traffic in about five gallons worth of bridges. It's gonna be a problem," Nashville real estate researcher Ed Branding told NewsChannel 5.

Hard deadline: the Super Bowl

TDOT said the work has a firm finish line. Nashville hosts the Super Bowl at the new Nissan Stadium on the East Bank in early 2030, and the agency said it is announcing the closure now so people have plenty of time to plan.

The bridge itself dates to 1956. It was dedicated as a memorial to Nashville and Davidson County service members who died in World War II and the Korean War, according to WKRN.

For more on getting around the region, see our coverage of I-24 Choice Lanes public meetings, Oracle's plans for its East Bank campus and all Nashville traffic news.