The rehabilitation of Hurricane Bridge in DeKalb County is among the projects to be funded through TDOT’s Better Bridge bonding program in the proposed fiscal year 2010-11 state budget.
Governor Phil Bredsen made the announcement in a news release Friday.
State Senator Mae Beavers, who was in Smithville Friday, said this is good news for the people of DeKalb County. She added that TDOT plans to address funding for the replacement of Sligo bridge next year. “We have the Hurricane bridge that is going to be in the budget this year and the Sligo bridge is up for (bid) letting next year (2011-2012). Actually Hurricane bridge hasn’t been in the works as long as Sligo has but they had to prioritize them and with the condition of Hurricane, that had to take top priority. They’re going to have to remove some of the decking that was put on a few years back because it’s put too much weight on the bridge so that will be a rehab and you’ll probably continue to see some of the lanes closed at least going one way or the other. So that is in the budget this year and they should be able to let a contract on that in July 2011. That is good for the people of DeKalb County. There’s a commitment from TDOT to finish both of these bridges.”
Paul Degges, Chief Engineer for TDOT said during a January meeting at Smithville City Hall that the price tag for the Hurricane bridge rehab project is estimated to be between $12 to $15 million.
Unlike Sligo, the state will be looking to do a rehab on Hurricane bridge, not a replacement. And while both bridges remain safe to travel under posted weight limits, Degges says TDOT will give Hurricane bridge priority over Sligo bridge. “This bridge (Hurricane) was built in 1944 and in the late 1970’s the department came in and put a new bridge deck on it. We actually widened it. We met the design specifications at the time. Since that time, the design specifications for bridges have changed, particularly in the aftermath of the failure (of a bridge) in Minneapolis. Truss bridges in particular have been looked at a whole lot harder in the last couple of years. So we’re having to go back in and based on these new design criteria, look at this bridge. This will be a rehab. We’ll do a lot of work on the concrete deck. We need to narrow the shoulders a little bit and then strengthen some of the truss members underneath the bridge.”
Governor Bredesen Friday released the final three-year transportation program of his administration which includes completion of several major strategic corridor projects and the state’s Better Bridges bonding program. The three-tiered program includes $1.5 billion for highways and bridges to fund more than 175 individual project phases in 70 counties in Tennessee. Included in the proposal, which has been presented to the Legislature, are 26 highway and bridge projects in TDOT’s Region Two alone.
“TDOT’s three-year multimodal work program for 2010 to 2013 represents a responsible, balanced approach to transportation that includes a number of projects identified as top priorities by the state’s planning organizations,” said Governor Bredesen. “One of the priorities I set when I became Governor was to see TDOT become a more open and responsive agency. There have been many changes since then, including the shift to multi-modal planning and creation of a new 25-year multi-modal transportation plan, new programs to better protect the environment, and a renewed focus on listening to the citizens of the state. I’m pleased this final three-year program accomplishes many of the goals I set forth for this administration.”
TDOT’s Region Two includes Bledsoe, Bradley, Cannon, Clay, Coffee, Cumberland, DeKalb, Fentress, Franklin, Grundy, Hamilton, Jackson, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Overton, Pickett, Polk, Putnam, Rhea, Sequatchie, Van Buren, Warren and White counties.
“Through this three-year multimodal program, the department will complete the Better Bridges bonding program in three years rather than the four originally planned, will address a number of strategic corridors identified in the 10-year program and includes several projects to address congestion in both urban and rural areas,” said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely. “Years of planning and study have gone into each of the projects funded for construction.”
26 projects in TDOT’s Region Two will be funded through TDOT’s regular program. The program funds projects to relieve congestion in Chattanooga and surrounding areas including, the widening of U.S. 27 (State Route-29) in Hamilton County from north of the Tennessee River Bridge to SR-8 (U.S. 127) in Fiscal Year 2010/11 and FY 2011/12 and widening of the Olgiati Brige over the Tennessee River on U.S. 27 (FY2012/13). A new interchange on State Route 311 (APD 40) in Bradley County between I-75 (exit 20) and SR-2 (U.S. 11) in Cleveland (FY-2010/11) is also funded through the program as well as a widening on U.S. 70 in Cannon and Warren Counties from near SR-281 to Centertown (FY 2010/11). The program also includes funds to appraise and acquire right-of-way for the county seat connector project on U.S. 127 (SR-28) in Cumberland and Fentress Counties from near Lowe Road to SR-62 in Clarkrange (FY 2010/11).
In addition to the highway projects listed above, in DeKalb County the rehabilitation of the Hurricane Bridge on SR-56 (Cookeville Hwy.) over the Caney Fork River (FY 2010/11) is funded through TDOT’s Better Bridge bonding program. A total of six bridge repair or replacement projects in Region Two in this three-year multimodal program are funded through the Better Bridges bond program.
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