The Hurricane Bridge construction project is nearing completion.
Paul Degges, Chief Engineer for the Tennessee Department of Transportation, in a meeting with County Mayor Mike Foster and the county commission Thursday night, said the project is ahead of schedule and could be finished by May. “We are running considerably ahead of schedule on that project,” said Degges. “We anticipate being able to open that to traffic probably by the first of May. If we have good weather this winter we might even beat that. You might recall our original completion estimate was October of this year so we are significantly ahead of schedule,” said Degges.
During an interview with WJLE in August, Degges described the work being done on Hurricane Bridge.”That bridge was built during World War II and it had some pretty lite structural members. One of the things we’ve been going through on the project is to make sure it can handle traffic for the next fifty years or so. We’re going in and looking at every single member of the truss. Some of those metal components underneath the deck are in tension and some are in compression. So we’re doing an analysis on all those to make sure that we replace the ones that need to be replaced. This is an older bridge. It has a lite weight construction so we’re also using a lite weight concrete on it. The concrete deck on this bridge weighs about twenty percent less than concrete we use in typical applications. I think motorists will notice that the bridge rail on the bridge looks a little different. It’s metal instead of concrete. It’s just as strong but it’s a little bit lighter than concrete. We’re going to take about two feet off the shoulders. While we’ll still have the same width twelve foot travel lanes, the shoulders are going to be a little bit narrower than they were before the project. What we’re trying to do is be able to put this bridge back in service and get another fifty years out of it,” said Degges.
In October, 2010 TDOT awarded the bid to OCCI Incorporated at $26.9 million. The contractor has until October 31st, 2013 to complete the project. Modjeski and Masters is the consulting firm.
Author Archive: Dwayne Page
New Sligo Bridge to be Under Construction By Summer
After months of delay, the new Sligo bridge is expected to be under construction by this summer.
During a meeting with County Mayor Mike Foster and the county commission Thursday night, Paul Degges, Chief Engineer of the Tennessee Department of Transportation said bids will likely be opened in April or May with construction to begin soon after.
(PLAY VIDEO BELOW OF TDOT CHIEF ENGINEER PAUL DEGGES)
Before TDOT could begin with the project, it had to work out a deal on right of way acquisition with the only landowner in the area, being the federal government, through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The problem was that owners of Sligo Marina, who have a lease with the Corps were concerned that the bridge construction would adversely affect their business. The marina owners wanted the state to pay for potential loss of business to them during the construction of the bridge. But Degges, in previous forums, had said that the state cannot legally pay for those types of damages. Over time, TDOT re-designed plans for the bridge hoping to address concerns to the satisfaction of Sligo Marina, but to no avail. So, the state came up with another alternative. To build the bridge from the river. Barges will be assembled on the river for the cranes and other equipment needed in construction. “Our original design had some pretty significant impacts to the parking lot of the marina,” said Degges. ” In working with the Corps of Engineers and the marina, we tried to come up with a design that we felt was a good design that worked for us and worked for the marina. The marina (owners) ultimately were not satisfied with our design so we went back again and tried to re-design the project to come up with a different type of design that would work. Ultimately, we never really could satisfy the marina so we backed up and looked at it again. We brought in a lot of contractors and did a constructability review so now we have come up with a way to build the bridge from the water and from the roadway so we’re not going to have to be off our reservation so to speak with the bridge,” said Degges.
The project will be more costly to build the bridge from the river, according to Degges but the marina will not be impacted in this manner. The project will let for bids this spring and be under construction by summer and should be finished within twenty four to thirty months. “For the most part we’re going to be building the bridge from the river. It is going to run our costs up but we believe we have the resources available to deliver it,” said Degges. “We’re still finalizing our real estate agreement with the Corps of Engineers that allows us to get all of our permits but we anticipate being able to open bids probably in the April to May time frame and be under construction this summer. It will probably be twenty four to thirty months of construction to get the new bridge in place but the existing roads will be open to traffic during that time. Certainly there will be some construction delays through there but we won’t have a traffic signal. As far as construction impacts, there will still be access to the marina during construction and there will still be access across the bridge. It will be posted. Its at 22 tons right now and we hope to be able to keep it at that weight posting. I don’t see anything happening that’s going to have us change that,” he said.
Degges said it is important that the TDOT proceed with no further delays because of the deterioration of the bridge. “Old bridges deteriorate a lot faster than newer bridges. The condition goes along pretty uniform for a number of years but when that condition (of the bridge) drops, it plummets pretty fast so that’s why we made the decision to go ahead and move forward with this project,” he said.
“The real issue for this project is constructability,” said Degges. “The first issue here is that the water is over one hundred feet deep. These piers coming up out of the bottom of the river will be about two hundred feet tall. Building the foundation underwater in one hundred feet of water is difficult work. The steepness of the ravine going down to the river makes it very difficult as well. We have a 335 foot main span but the real issue is getting the sub-structures in place and being able to get the cranes in to be able to hang the beams, he said.
The new bridge will be built next to the existing one. Once the new bridge is completed, the existing bridge will be removed. “We’re going to build what we call a steel plate girder bridge with a concrete deck,” said Degges. “Right now, the bridge is a truss.The bridge is somewhat narrow. The new bridge we’re going to put in here will have twelve foot lanes and ten foot shoulders. It will be what most people would consider a traditional bridge in that the beams of this bridge will be under the deck,” he said.
The project is expected to cost over $30 million dollars. It will be funded under TDOT’s Better Bridges, a four year program approved in 2009 by the Tennessee General Assembly that utilizes bonds to pay for the repair or replacement of more than 200 structurally deficient bridges in the state including Sligo. “We were able to come up with a new funding mechanism which we call our Better Bridges Program that allows us to utilize dollars available so we don’t have to borrow money. It is a way that we use bond authorizations that allow us to let bigger projects and pay for them as they’re being constructed. It keeps us from having to borrow any money but it allows us to advance pretty expensive projects,” said Degges.
State Representatives Terri Lynn Weaver and Mark Pody and other TDOT officials joined Degges at the meeting Thursday night with the county commission.
J.B. Blankenship, Jr.
70 year old James Bertland Blankenship, Jr. a Rock Island resident and Warren County native died Wednesday at St. Thomas Hospital, Nashville following an extended illness.
He was a retired employee of Century Electric, and son of the late James Bertland and Janie Lee Clendenon Blankenship, Sr. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by brother, Edwin Blankenship and sister, Audine Dotson.
He is survived by son, Jim (Jennifer) Blankenship of Manchester, TN; daughter, Donna Sue Blankenship, McMinnville, TN; four grandchildren, Justin Hester, Murfreesboro, TN; Cody Blankenship, Rockvale, TN; Alec Villain and Adain Overall of McMinnville, TN; sister Mamie (Gene) Prater, McMinnville, TN. and several nieces and nephews.
Funeral service will be 2:00 p.m. Sunday, January 27, 2013 in High’s Chapel. Burial will follow in the Webb Cemetery at Bluff Springs. Visitation will be 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Saturday and 10:00 a.m. until time of service on Sunday.
High Funeral Home in McMinnville is in charge of the arrangements.
Lawrence B. Bean
83 year old Lawrence B. Bean of Liberty died Monday. He was born in Washington, DC. His parents were the late Edwin Temple Bean, Sr. and Mary (a’Becket) Bean. He was also preceded in death by a sister, Mary Osborne.
Survivors include his wife, Bonnie (Axley) Bean of Liberty; son, Lawrence B. Bean, Jr. (“Skip”) and wife Jill of Penobscot, ME; daughters, Cynthia Lee Bailey of Rochester, NY, and Pamela (husband Christopher Panfil) of Angola, NY; step-son, Christopher Brunetto of Seminole, FL; step-daughter, Angeline Brunetto Sprague, M.D. and husband Timothy Sprague of Christiana, TN; brothers, Edwin Temple Bean, Jr. (wife Susan) of Buffalo, NY, and Neil Bean (wife Patricia) of Wilmington, NC. He had five grandchildren: Katherine Lee Bailey, Silas Jude Panfil, Becket Alexander Panfil, Kendall Faith Sprague and Ethan Ray Sprague.
He was a member of St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church in Lebanon, TN. He was involved in establishing the Carmel Center of Spirituality, a Catholic retreat center in Liberty (DeKalb County), TN.
Mr. Bean grew up as a young man in East Aurora, NY. He was a veteran of the U. S. Naval ROTC program while at Clarkson College, NY, where he obtained a Bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering. He was President of Conax Florida Corporation of St. Petersburg, FL, which produces life support systems for the U.S. Navy and Air Force. Mr. Bean was an avid reader and had worked as a Librarian in the Dowelltown and Liberty Library for 15 years.
Mr. Bean had requested that his body be cremated. Memorial Mass will be held on Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 2 PM at St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church, 300 Tarver Ave., Lebanon, TN . In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Carmel Center, P.O. Box 117, Liberty, TN 37095.
Smith Funeral Home in Woodbury is in charge of the arrangements.
Cecil Ray Burger
Former Smithville Mayor and alderman Cecil Ray Burger passed away Wednesday night at NHC Healthcare Center. He was 89 years old.
Mr. Burger served the City of Smithville for more than forty five years, including sixteen years as mayor and six years as alderman
In twenty two years, Mr. Burger never lost an election, having first been elected mayor in 1990. He served eight terms, sixteen years in that office until 2006 when he chose instead to run for alderman. He ended his long career with the city on June 30 last year when his third term as alderman came to an end. Because of his health, Mr. Burger had chosen not to seek re-election to a fourth term.
Mr. Burger began his career with the city in 1966 as secretary-treasurer, which also meant overseeing the city’s public works operation and city employees. He served as city judge for the first couple of years as well. Burger retired from the secretary-treasurer position in 1989 but came out of retirement fifteen months later after being elected mayor in 1990.
During his time with the city as an employee and alderman Burger served under or with ten mayors starting with Othel Smith, John Bill Evins, Charles Gentry, Edward Frazier, Gary (Gus) Johnson, Hilton Conger, Waniford Cantrell, Dewey Love, Bruce Medley, and Taft Hendrixson.
The fifty two aldermen he served under or with as a city employee, mayor, and alderman from 1966 through 2012 include Jim O. Amonett, W.H. Smith, Sr., Eugene Webb, Freddy Colvert, Hobert Hendrixson, John Bill Evins, Bass Estes, Floyd Brown, Sr., Edward Frazier, Robert Alexander, Carter Braswell, Paschal Cantrell, Donnie Lewis, Alfred Parker, T.C. Atnip, Ray Johnson, Bob Smithson, Gary (Gus) Johnson, Tom Keith, Hilton Conger, Dr. Kenneth Twilla, Bill Maffett, Marsha Darah, Cordell Walker, Charles Trapp, Paul Hendrixson, Dr. Melvin Blevins, Elmus Johnson, David Redmon, Jim Eddins, Dewey Love, Bruce Medley, Elzie McBride, Charles Burchfield, Larry Wright, Jack Cantrell, Jerry Taylor, W.J. (Dub) White, Charles Olson, Bert Driver, Steve White, Paul Young, Brad Mullinax, Mark Loring, Jackie Rigsby, Aaron Meeks, Willie Thomas, Tonya Sullivan, Jerry Hutchins, Sr., Shawn Jacobs, Danny Washer, and Gayla Hendrix.
In an interview with WJLE last year, Mr. Burger said he appreciated all the support he had received during his career with the city. “The people have been good to me and I appreciate it very much. They supported me well,” said Burger.
“We (city) grew a right smart while I was mayor and we tried to serve the whole city. I don’t know of anything special (we did) only trying to do our work with everybody. I had a lot of good help. I appreciate my friends who have helped me out all these years. They helped me when I was mayor. I have plenty of friends. I’ve tried to treat them like I wanted to be treated,” said Burger.
Mr. Burger was a member of the Smithville First United Methodist Church and a construction worker.
The funeral will be Saturday at 3:00 p.m. at DeKalb Funeral Chapel. Dr. John Carpenter will officiate. Entombment will be at DeKalb Memorial Gardens Mausoleum. Visitation will be Friday from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until the service at 3:00 p.m.
He was preceded in death by his parents, James and Willie Sowells Burger and his wife, Wilma Jo Burger.
Survivors include four children, David and wife Kyoko Burger of Japan, Gereda Burger of Massachusetts, Pamela and husband Danny Poss of Smithville, and Anthony and wife Tammie Burger of Smithville.
Five grandchildren, Nancy Burger, Simon and wife, Emi Burger, Erica Burger, Nicole Burger, and Zach Poss. A great grandson, Braxton. A sister, Sudie Vickers of Liberty. A sister-in-law, Mildred and husband Howard Harrell of Murfreesboro.
DeKalb Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements. The family asks that donations be made to the Smithville First United Methodist Church, in lieu of flowers.
J.B. Blankenship, Jr.
70 year old James Bertland Blankenship, Jr. a Rock Island resident and Warren County native died Wednesday at St. Thomas Hospital, Nashville following an extended illness.
He was a retired employee of Century Electric, and son of the late James Bertland and Janie Lee Clendenon Blankenship, Sr. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by brother, Edwin Blankenship and sister, Audine Dotson.
He is survived by son, Jim (Jennifer) Blankenship of Manchester, TN; daughter, Donna Sue Blankenship, McMinnville, TN; four grandchildren, Justin Hester, Murfreesboro, TN; Cody Blankenship, Rockvale, TN; Alec Villain and Adain Overall of McMinnville, TN; sister Mamie (Gene) Prater, McMinnville, TN. and several nieces and nephews.
Funeral service will be 2:00 p.m. Sunday, January 27, 2013 in High’s Chapel. Burial will follow in the Webb Cemetery at Bluff Springs. Visitation will be 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Saturday and 10:00 a.m. until time of service on Sunday.
High Funeral Home in McMinnville is in charge of the arrangements.
Lawrence B. Bean
83 year old Lawrence B. Bean of Liberty died Monday. He was born in Washington, DC. His parents were the late Edwin Temple Bean, Sr. and Mary (a’Becket) Bean. He was also preceded in death by a sister, Mary Osborne.
Survivors include his wife, Bonnie (Axley) Bean of Liberty; son, Lawrence B. Bean, Jr. (“Skip”) and wife Jill of Penobscot, ME; daughters, Cynthia Lee Bailey of Rochester, NY, and Pamela (husband Christopher Panfil) of Angola, NY; step-son, Christopher Brunetto of Seminole, FL; step-daughter, Angeline Brunetto Sprague, M.D. and husband Timothy Sprague of Christiana, TN; brothers, Edwin Temple Bean, Jr. (wife Susan) of Buffalo, NY, and Neil Bean (wife Patricia) of Wilmington, NC. He had five grandchildren: Katherine Lee Bailey, Silas Jude Panfil, Becket Alexander Panfil, Kendall Faith Sprague and Ethan Ray Sprague.
He was a member of St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church in Lebanon, TN. He was involved in establishing the Carmel Center of Spirituality, a Catholic retreat center in Liberty (DeKalb County), TN.
Mr. Bean grew up as a young man in East Aurora, NY. He was a veteran of the U. S. Naval ROTC program while at Clarkson College, NY, where he obtained a Bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering. He was President of Conax Florida Corporation of St. Petersburg, FL, which produces life support systems for the U.S. Navy and Air Force. Mr. Bean was an avid reader and had worked as a Librarian in the Dowelltown and Liberty Library for 15 years.
Mr. Bean had requested that his body be cremated. Memorial Mass will be held on Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 2 PM at St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church, 300 Tarver Ave., Lebanon, TN . In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Carmel Center, P.O. Box 117, Liberty, TN 37095.
Smith Funeral Home in Woodbury is in charge of the arrangements.
Cecil Ray Burger
Former Smithville Mayor and alderman Cecil Ray Burger passed away Wednesday night at NHC Healthcare Center. He was 89 years old.
Mr. Burger served the City of Smithville for more than forty five years, including sixteen years as mayor and six years as alderman
In twenty two years, Mr. Burger never lost an election, having first been elected mayor in 1990. He served eight terms, sixteen years in that office until 2006 when he chose instead to run for alderman. He ended his long career with the city on June 30 last year when his third term as alderman came to an end. Because of his health, Mr. Burger had chosen not to seek re-election to a fourth term.
Mr. Burger began his career with the city in 1966 as secretary-treasurer, which also meant overseeing the city’s public works operation and city employees. He served as city judge for the first couple of years as well. Burger retired from the secretary-treasurer position in 1989 but came out of retirement fifteen months later after being elected mayor in 1990.
During his time with the city as an employee and alderman Burger served under or with ten mayors starting with Othel Smith, John Bill Evins, Charles Gentry, Edward Frazier, Gary (Gus) Johnson, Hilton Conger, Waniford Cantrell, Dewey Love, Bruce Medley, and Taft Hendrixson.
The fifty two aldermen he served under or with as a city employee, mayor, and alderman from 1966 through 2012 include Jim O. Amonett, W.H. Smith, Sr., Eugene Webb, Freddy Colvert, Hobert Hendrixson, John Bill Evins, Bass Estes, Floyd Brown, Sr., Edward Frazier, Robert Alexander, Carter Braswell, Paschal Cantrell, Donnie Lewis, Alfred Parker, T.C. Atnip, Ray Johnson, Bob Smithson, Gary (Gus) Johnson, Tom Keith, Hilton Conger, Dr. Kenneth Twilla, Bill Maffett, Marsha Darah, Cordell Walker, Charles Trapp, Paul Hendrixson, Dr. Melvin Blevins, Elmus Johnson, David Redmon, Jim Eddins, Dewey Love, Bruce Medley, Elzie McBride, Charles Burchfield, Larry Wright, Jack Cantrell, Jerry Taylor, W.J. (Dub) White, Charles Olson, Bert Driver, Steve White, Paul Young, Brad Mullinax, Mark Loring, Jackie Rigsby, Aaron Meeks, Willie Thomas, Tonya Sullivan, Jerry Hutchins, Sr., Shawn Jacobs, Danny Washer, and Gayla Hendrix.
In an interview with WJLE last year, Mr. Burger said he appreciated all the support he had received during his career with the city. “The people have been good to me and I appreciate it very much. They supported me well,” said Burger.
“We (city) grew a right smart while I was mayor and we tried to serve the whole city. I don’t know of anything special (we did) only trying to do our work with everybody. I had a lot of good help. I appreciate my friends who have helped me out all these years. They helped me when I was mayor. I have plenty of friends. I’ve tried to treat them like I wanted to be treated,” said Burger.
Mr. Burger was a member of the Smithville First United Methodist Church and a construction worker.
The funeral will be Saturday at 3:00 p.m. at DeKalb Funeral Chapel. Dr. John Carpenter will officiate. Entombment will be at DeKalb Memorial Gardens Mausoleum. Visitation will be Friday from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until the service at 3:00 p.m.
He was preceded in death by his parents, James and Willie Sowells Burger and his wife, Wilma Jo Burger.
Survivors include four children, David and wife Kyoko Burger of Japan, Gereda Burger of Massachusetts, Pamela and husband Danny Poss of Smithville, and Anthony and wife Tammie Burger of Smithville.
Five grandchildren, Nancy Burger, Simon and wife, Emi Burger, Erica Burger, Nicole Burger, and Zach Poss. A great grandson, Braxton. A sister, Sudie Vickers of Liberty. A sister-in-law, Mildred and husband Howard Harrell of Murfreesboro.
DeKalb Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements. The family asks that donations be made to the Smithville First United Methodist Church, in lieu of flowers.
Former Smithville Mayor Cecil Burger Passes Away
Former Smithville Mayor and alderman Cecil Ray Burger passed away Wednesday night at NHC Healthcare Center. He was 89 years old.
Mr. Burger served the City of Smithville for more than forty five years, including sixteen years as mayor and six years as alderman
In twenty two years, Mr. Burger never lost an election, having first been elected mayor in 1990. He served eight terms, sixteen years in that office until 2006 when he chose instead to run for alderman. He ended his long career with the city on June 30 last year when his third term as alderman came to an end. Because of his health, Mr. Burger had chosen not to seek re-election to a fourth term.
Mr. Burger began his career with the city in 1966 as secretary-treasurer, which also meant overseeing the city’s public works operation and city employees. He served as city judge for the first couple of years as well. Burger retired from the secretary-treasurer position in 1989 but came out of retirement fifteen months later after being elected mayor in 1990.
During his time with the city as an employee and alderman Burger served under or with ten mayors starting with Othel Smith, John Bill Evins, Charles Gentry, Edward Frazier, Gary (Gus) Johnson, Hilton Conger, Waniford Cantrell, Dewey Love, Bruce Medley, and Taft Hendrixson.
The fifty two aldermen he served under or with as a city employee, mayor, and alderman from 1966 through 2012 include Jim O. Amonett, W.H. Smith, Sr., Eugene Webb, Freddy Colvert, Hobert Hendrixson, John Bill Evins, Bass Estes, Floyd Brown, Sr., Edward Frazier, Robert Alexander, Carter Braswell, Paschal Cantrell, Donnie Lewis, Alfred Parker, T.C. Atnip, Ray Johnson, Bob Smithson, Gary (Gus) Johnson, Tom Keith, Hilton Conger, Dr. Kenneth Twilla, Bill Maffett, Marsha Darah, Cordell Walker, Charles Trapp, Paul Hendrixson, Dr. Melvin Blevins, Elmus Johnson, David Redmon, Jim Eddins, Dewey Love, Bruce Medley, Elzie McBride, Charles Burchfield, Larry Wright, Jack Cantrell, Jerry Taylor, W.J. (Dub) White, Charles Olson, Bert Driver, Steve White, Paul Young, Brad Mullinax, Mark Loring, Jackie Rigsby, Aaron Meeks, Willie Thomas, Tonya Sullivan, Jerry Hutchins, Sr., Shawn Jacobs, Danny Washer, and Gayla Hendrix.
In an interview with WJLE last year, Mr. Burger said he appreciated all the support he had received during his career with the city. “The people have been good to me and I appreciate it very much. They supported me well,” said Burger.
“We (city) grew a right smart while I was mayor and we tried to serve the whole city. I don’t know of anything special (we did) only trying to do our work with everybody. I had a lot of good help. I appreciate my friends who have helped me out all these years. They helped me when I was mayor. I have plenty of friends. I’ve tried to treat them like I wanted to be treated,” said Burger.
Mr. Burger was a member of the Smithville First United Methodist Church and a construction worker.
The funeral will be Saturday at 3:00 p.m. at DeKalb Funeral Chapel. Dr. John Carpenter will officiate. Entombment will be at DeKalb Memorial Gardens Mausoleum. Visitation will be Friday from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until the service at 3:00 p.m.
He was preceded in death by his parents, James and Willie Sowells Burger and his wife, Wilma Jo Burger.
Survivors include four children, David and wife Kyoko Burger of Japan, Gereda Burger of Massachusetts, Pamela and husband Danny Poss of Smithville, and Anthony and wife Tammie Burger of Smithville.
Five grandchildren, Nancy Burger, Simon and wife, Emi Burger, Erica Burger, Nicole Burger, and Zach Poss. A great grandson, Braxton. A sister, Sudie Vickers of Liberty. A sister-in-law, Mildred and husband Howard Harrell of Murfreesboro.
DeKalb Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements. The family asks that donations be made to the Smithville First United Methodist Church, in lieu of flowers.
Three Mexican Restaurants Seek On Premises Consumption Beer Permits
Patrons of three Smithville Mexican restaurants may soon be able to have beer with their meals.
El Rancho of 1101 West Broad Streeet, Mercadito Chabelita Restaurant of 408 Broad Street, and Los Lobos of 106 East Broad Street are the first to apply for an on-premises consumption permit
The Smithville Beer Board will meet on Thursday, January 31 at 6:00 p.m. on the second floor of city hall to consider granting the permit applications.
The Smithville aldermen last month changed the city’s beer laws to allow eligible restaurants to have an on-premises permit.