CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Downtown Chattanooga businesses that just got their foot traffic back from the reopened Walnut Street Bridge are bracing for another long riverfront closure, with Ross’s Landing set to shut down for 18 months of construction in less than a month.
The River City Company says it is working on ways to keep customers coming during the riverfront work. Plans include detouring the Riverwalk to help people reach businesses, holding smaller events and offering $1,000 construction mitigation grants for affected businesses. The group says it will keep holding conversations with storefronts as the project moves forward, though some owners have questioned whether the detours and aid will be enough.
The bridge closure offers a recent comparison. During that work, the city offered 45 businesses within a quarter-mile of the bridge $1,000 construction mitigation grants. The Walnut Street Bridge reopened Oct. 3 after an 18-month closure that included replacing parts of its steel and the entirety of its wood decking, and the city estimates more than 20,000 people crossed on reopening day.
City data show sales tax collection at businesses on Frazier Avenue remained relatively the same during the bridge closure, which ran from March 2025 through September 2026, even as merchants cut hours and staff to get through slower months.
Ross’s Landing carries deep roots for the city. The site of present-day Chattanooga was established as Ross’s Landing in 1816 by Cherokee chief John Ross as a trading post on the Tennessee River.
Despite the coming closure, the Head of the Hooch rowing regatta decided to stay in Chattanooga, with plans to move the event across the Tennessee River while Ross’s Landing is closed next year.
