News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The Putnam County Transportation Committee will look into more road projects as their county-wide transportation survey results and discussion come to a close.
Putnam County Executive Randy Porter said the committee will consider up to 100 additional local projects including city streets and county roadways.
“Some of them are individual city projects that may effect only inside that city that may just be as easy as putting up traffic signals at intersections,” Porter said. “Some of the other ones are road projects, sidewalk projects, safety projects. So once we finish this TDOT list, our next phase… is working through all of those projects and trying to get them in some kind of order as to how we would rank them, and who the funding responsibility would fall under.”
Porter said low unemployment rates and increased development across the county and cities emphasize the need for improved infrastructure in the area.
“Transportation and workforce development are probably two of our primary concerns with the unemployment rates being so low with all the new jobs,” Porter said. “Once you bring in all those new jobs, you’re bringing in new people moving here. I think transportation is at the top of that list.”
Porter said most infrastructure and transportation issues the county faces involve state roads and highways. He added that is why the Transportation Committee began with larger projects with TDOT in mind.
“I think as we move to the city and county projects, there’s still going to be a need there,” Porter said. “Most of those are in pretty good shape and the traffic on those roads may not be very bad now. But a lot of those will increase. Instead of using the main roads, [people] start using side roads to get around to avoid some of that traffic, so then you start having the traffic problems on the side streets and secondary roads.”
Porter said a few road and sidewalk projects will be presented to the Center Hill RPO sometime next week for approval. The next Transportation Committee meeting has not yet been scheduled.
