State delaying bluff project
Highway 70 would be closed with construction
By Eddie West
Staff Writer
A Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) Highway 70 rock mitigation project continues to face opposition from residents and local officials.
The project is planned for the South Carthage bluff located at the south end of the Cordell Hull Bridge.
A sign located just outside the South Carthage city limits on Highway 70 reads “Stop the closure of Highway 70”, referring to the proposed project.
Once construction work begins, the project will require the temporary closing of Highway 70 in the construction zone, impacting several thousand motorists who travel the state roadway on a daily basis.
Many of those motorists travel through the project zone twice daily.
The rock mitigation project will not only impact individual commuters but also government services, including ambulance, police and fire protection.
At this point, exactly when rock mitigation project will begin remains uncertain.
While the state transportation department project has been temporarily delayed, it’s not likely to be halted permanently.
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I understand the inconvenience and the impact on some businesses using that route. I travel through there several times a week and I would have to figure out another route, use more gas and take more time if they close the road. It would be a pain. I get it. I also see a lot of cracks and separation of rock on the lower level of the bluff. I also see the lines of cars and buses waiting to go through the 3 way stop during the school year every morning. It would cost more than lost revenue, gas to travel a longer route, or ANY inconvenience if even one person was injured or killed by a rock slide on that bluff like there was on 25. Imagine if it was a bus waiting to get across the bridge that was hit. I don’t have a good answer for all the issues….the police, fire, abulances…maybe a temporary station on the west side of the bluff?? I do know that something has to be done before there is a tragedy and we would be better served to brainstorm ways to make the closure less painful for everyone and take as little time as possible than trying to just block closing the road.
I agree with Concerned Citizen. Instead of fighting the closure, people need to come together to figure out how to make it happen for the good of all. I understand there is a road that could be used for a detour but it would have to be improved. Why not make it into a two lane road and wide enough to carry the traffic that will have to go around that way and get on with the project before the whole rock face let’s lose and kills people?