Proposal To Name Old Baxter Road Bridge Heads To Nashville

The Putnam County Commission approved a proposal Monday to name the interstate 40 Exit 276 overpass bridge after Francis Marion Roberts.

Roberts was a pioneer of the Roberts Switch Community, a popular gathering spot in the 1890s after he negotiated an agreement that the railroad would build a switch and siding on the right-of-way of his property.

Tommy Roberts is the Great-Grandson of Francis Marion Roberts. He said he was delighted about the commission’s decision.

“More than that, I can tell all the folks in the community that it moved from here down to the state level,” Roberts said. I’m confident the state will approve it too because there’s no reason not to.”

Tommy Roberts says Interstate 40 was built through the community of Roberts Switch in the 1960s.

“The main reason we want to do this is because without Francis Marion Roberts vision, our community would not even have a name,” Roberts said. “Today, 100 years later we have a community name. This has universal acceptance in the community.”

Roberts said the idea to rename the bridge came up last year during the Roberts Switch Community homecoming.

Pending state legislature approval in 2019, the Old Baxter Road overpass will officially be named the Francis Marion Roberts Memorial Bridge.