Poga, Tennessee
Reconnecting Poga after Hurricane Helene
Hurricane Helene flooding took out Poga Bridge 2. The crossing it carried was the way people reached homes, neighbors, supplies and emergency services, and without it a small community was split in two.
- Location
- Poga, Tennessee
- Span
- 56ft
- Width
- 10ft
- Load requirement
- 8 ton
- Installed
- 2025
The site
A creek in a steep wooded valley, scoured by the flood. Uprooted trees and broken timber piled along both banks, the approach road cut away, and the remains of the previous crossing still in the water.
A bridge donated when the community needed it most
When Hurricane Helene swept through East Tennessee, the flooding left behind more than damaged roads and washed-out crossings. It separated families, disrupted emergency access, and made everyday travel far more difficult for the small community of Poga.
After learning that Poga Bridge 2 had been lost, Roadrunner Bridge owner Troy Henry stepped in to help. Roadrunner Bridge donated and installed a temporary bridge to restore the crossing and reconnect the community.
Built for more than traffic
A bridge is easy to think of as steel, decking, and engineering.
But in a rural community, it can also mean access to homes, emergency services, neighbors, supplies, and the roads people rely on every day. The donated bridge gave residents a dependable way across while the community continued the long work of recovering from the storm.
Answering the call
The temporary bridge was delivered and installed in early January 2025, following the destructive flooding caused by Hurricane Helene.
Roadrunner Bridge worked to provide a practical solution that could be installed quickly and put into service without waiting through a lengthy conventional construction process.
For the people of Poga, the project was not simply about replacing infrastructure. It was about restoring a connection that the storm had taken away.
Built in Texas. Put to work in Tennessee.
Roadrunner bridges are designed for situations where durability, speed, and straightforward installation matter. This project showed what prefabricated bridge systems can do when access needs to be restored quickly:
- Rapid delivery and installation
- Durable steel construction
- Practical access for rural communities
- A temporary solution that could serve immediately
- Reduced dependence on lengthy on-site construction
Supporting the road ahead
Recovering from a major storm takes time. Roads must be rebuilt, utilities restored, homes repaired, and communities given room to find their footing again.
Roadrunner Bridge was honored to play a small part in that recovery by helping reconnect Poga.
The bridge stands as a reminder that infrastructure is ultimately about people. It connects more than two sides of a crossing. It connects families, emergency responders, neighbors, and communities moving forward together.
A temporary bridge has done its job when it is no longer needed. Poga has a permanent crossing now, and this one held the road open until it arrived.
On site
-
What the flooding left behind. -
Cutting the approach back to grade. -
The delivery trailer on the new approach. -
The finished deck, looking across to the far bank. -
The span on its abutments.
How it went in
Delivered assembled on a flatbed and set from the bank. Two excavators cut the approaches back to grade and armoured them with rock either side, and the span went in on stone abutments. Installed 7 January 2025.
Where it left things
A dependable crossing, in service while the community went on with the long work of recovering from the storm. Roadrunner Bridge donated the bridge and the installation. It has since been replaced by a permanent bridge, which is what a temporary crossing is for.
Need to restore access quickly?
Whether a crossing has been damaged by flooding, age, erosion, or an unexpected emergency, Roadrunner Bridge provides prefabricated bridge systems designed to get communities, properties, and projects moving again. Talk with our team about emergency, temporary, and permanent bridges.