NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – The Broadway Bridge project is expected to finish early with a completion date of Sept. 8.

On July 5, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) started working on the eight week project with a goal to transform the 75-year-old bridge. Built in 1948, the bridge has become an iconic figure of downtown Nashville.

“We widened the sidewalk on both sides, reduced the center turn lane, and made other changes to match the design,” Transportation Project Specialist Jonathan Vogel said. “We wanted to take into account the needs of the area.”

The new bridge will also have two lanes of traffic going both ways down Broadway, all while meeting very strict size dimensions and other challenges, like severe weather and protecting AT&T utility lines that run along the bottom of the bridge. Those lines are very important and help keep downtown Nashville connected.

Crews have worked 24 hours a day to get the project done as fast and as safe as possible. The project took 120 workers.

On top of the bridge, the concrete is poured across the bridge and a brown cloth helps seal in the concrete. The sides of the bridge are still metal and will soon become sidewalks.