Lt. Alexander "Sandy" Bonnyman Memorial Bridge

The bridge crosses the Tennessee River in a direct east−west alignment on Toole's Bend. Here, the river marks the boundary between Blount and Knox counties. It is a steel girder bridge, and is 1,716.9 feet (523.3 m) long. It has a maximum deck width of 84 feet (26 m), and its longest span is 460 feet (140 m) long.[2] The vertical clearance below the bridge on the river is approximately 80 feet (24 m).[3] The bridge carries four lanes of traffic, separated by a concrete Jersey barrier, and contains 12-foot (3.7 m) right shoulders and 6-foot (1.8 m) left shoulders.[4]

The bridge was first proposed as part of a plan in the early 1970s to extend the Pellissippi Parkway to U.S. Route 129 (US 129) near Alcoa, which originally ran between I-40/I-75 and State Route 62 (SR 62) in western Knox County.[5] The site for the extension was unveiled to the public on December 24, 1984.[6] Funding for the construction of the extension of the parkway was authorized by the Better Roads Program of 1986, and the bridge was the first part of the extension to begin construction. The contract for construction of the bridge was awarded in December 1986 at a cost of $11.8 million (equivalent to $25.1 million in 2021[7]).[8] The bridge was initially referred to as the "Pellissippi Parkway Bridge". Construction began in January 1987, with completion initially projected by August 1988.[3] In April 1988, the bridge's piers had been completed, and installation of the framework began.[9] The bridge was virtually completed by May of 1989,[10] although final work did not wrap up until the Fall.[11]

The bridge could not open, however, until the adjoining sections of the parkway on both ends were complete, and had to remain unused for more than three years.[12] During this time, it faced multiple acts of trespassing and vandalism, including graffiti and damage to the navigation lights. A bonfire was also reported to have been built on the bridge, and a number residents living nearby reported theft and damage and destruction of structures on their properties.[11] In response to complaints from residents, the Knox and Blount County sheriffs' departments began to increase patrols of the site in the middle of 1990.[12] On December 4, 1992, the bridge opened with the 6.6-mile (10.6 km) segment between US 129 in and SR 332.[13] The bridge was officially named in honor of Alexander "Sandy" Bonnyman on September 7, 1997, in a dedication ceremony.[14]