This bridge connects the public square and the central business district, on the western side of the Cumberland River, to Main Street in East Nashville. M. S. Poteat’s firm was contracted to building the bridge approaches, as well as the bridge substructure. For the final phase, the superstructure and decking, the contract went to the Nashville Bridge Company. State engineer Roy Higgs was in charge of the project.
The Victory Memorial Bridge originated in part from a 1948 public movement to recognize Nashville and Davidson County military soldier casualties from World War II; officials later favored a joint memorial including Korean war names. Constructed of 1,900 feet of modern steel in stone, it officially opened May 19, 1956, with Mayor Ben West cutting the ribbon and reading a poem titled “The Bridge Builder” by local poet Miss Will Allen Dromgoole.
