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By Buzz Trexler
Star Correspondent

Due to a scheduling conflict, the Carter County Car Club has again shifted gears in its move to host the weekly cruise-in at Elizabethton High School.

The club announced last month it was moving the first of its seasonal cruise-ins, which normally start in early May and continue through October, from downtown Elizabethton on East Elk Avenue to the high school due to the temporary closure of Broad Street Bridge.

The event kicks off its 43rd year from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, May 31, and will still be held at the high school, but it is being relocated to the staff parking lot. The event was scheduled for the main parking lot, but the school’s annual carnival to raise funds for the athletic department is being held in that lot and it cannot accommodate both events.

As a result of the move, City Council on Thursday night approved the club’s request to close Jason Witten Way from Hudson Drive to Bemberg Road and provide public safety assistance from 4:30 to 9 p.m. the day of the event to accommodate overflow parking.

The Elizabethton Police Department estimates $480 in staffing and overtime, while the Street and Sanitation Department estimates $187.86 in staffing and overtime, according to a summary provided to the City Council.

Hurricane Helene heavily damaged Broad Street Bridge when it struck in late September 2024, and the structure has been closed since that event. The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) announced in early April that the bridge, constructed in 1929, is expected to reopen in early July. The monthslong closure has resulted in traffic being rerouted through downtown Elizabethton.

“East Tennessee is unique in its geological features, which can cause the modification of road and bridge construction timelines,” the TDOT release said. “In recent weeks, a geotechnical investigation discovered that installing micro-piles would be more complicated than initially expected due to the complexity of the cobble rock underneath the bridge, which is up to 18 feet in depth. This discovery also complicates the diversion and dewatering process laid out in the contractor’s plan.”

The TDOT release said of the 49 sections of state/local routes initially closed due to the damage caused by Hurricane Helene, 44 of those had reopened as of that date.