The Tennessee Department of Transportation is scheduled to open bids in December on a project to reconstruct State Route 56 from south of the Warren County line to Magness Road in DeKalb County.
A TDOT official told WJLE Monday that funding for the construction, $6.8 million, is included in the state’s 2015-16 budget under the general Expedited Project Delivery (EPD) category of the 2015-17 three year work program. However, the new stretch of highway to be built will look different from TDOT’s original, more costly plan.
According to TDOT officials, the rate of severe crashes on this portion of Highway 56 is (0.250) double the state average (0.128) for rural two lane routes but that the decision to scale back the project was out of financial necessity. Just last week, one person was killed and two others injured in a three vehicle crash on the same stretch of highway where TDOT plans to make the improvements.
Instead of building a four lane divided and five lane road, TDOT now proposes to build a new two lane road (typical section) with twelve foot lanes and ten foot paved shoulders and passing lanes along the 3.25 mile existing alignment. The plans also include adding extra safety features on the new road, such as guardrails, better road signage, pavement markings, and center line rumble stripes. The total projected cost is approximately $6.8 million. That would be a savings to the state from TDOT’s original plans for this portion of Highway 56, which would have cost $20.4 million.
Original Project
•The original project was for a 3.25 mile rural 4-lane divided roadway.
•Right-of-way was purchased for this design.
•The estimated cost of the construction for this design was approximately $20.4 million
•The original design was not funded for construction
EPD Project (The stretch of highway to be constructed)
•The new Expedited Project Delivery (EPD) project is for a two-lane roadway to be constructed within the ROW purchased for the initial 4-lane design. The design also includes passing lanes in some areas.
•Basically, this new road matches the elevation and vertical profile of one-side of the initial 4-lane design. TDOT went with this design in case the state ever wanted to add the other half in the future to make this a 4-lane divided section. Future expansion would require little if any changes to the EPD design.
•The estimates for the EPD project total approximately $6.8 million.
•TDOT is currently on schedule and working on construction plans.
•The construction funding is in the budget year 2015/2016 under the general the EPD category of the 2015-2017 3-year work program.
•Bids are slated to be opened in December 2015.
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