Daniel B.
Yelp
The Walnut Street Bridge is a pretty cool bridge. It's a historic bridge, built in 1890, which crosses the Tennessee River in downtown Chattanooga. It connects downtown, where the Tennessee Aquarium is located, to the city's hip, urban Northshore neighborhood where you can find seasonal chef-driven cuisine, craft beer and cocktails, and fresh-roasted specialty coffee.
According to the Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau, the bridge is the world's longest pedestrian bridge. It measures almost half a mile long (technically, 2,376 feet or 0.45 miles). It used to carry vehicular traffic until 1978.
We entered the bridge from the north side where it starts over Coolidge Park. Coolidge Park is a well-maintained park with lots of open green space. The bridge, park, water, and downtown skyline all look very nice together. The bridge parallels and sits in between two other bridges (Chief John Ross Bridge and Veterans Bridge), both vehicular and one of which is a drawbridge (Ross).
What's cool about the Walnut Street Bridge is its design which incorporates many iron trusses that form perfectly symmetrical triangles all around. The trusses were last painted light blue. During our visit earlier in the year (2017), several sections of paint had worn off giving the bridge a neat rustic aesthetic. The floor of the bridge is covered with wooden planks giving it a boardwalk feel. The bridge is wide and spacious.
There are viewing benches, lamps, waste baskets, and even dog waste stations along the bridge. It's safe, family and dog friendly, and perfect for a romantic walk with a significant other.
The bridge has been through many repairs and improvements. When we visited, there was a lift on the bridge and a sign at the entrance from the City of Chattanooga that read: "Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge Repair and Construction Phase 1. E-13-002-201. Cost: $2,487,990.00. 100% Local Funds."