Baxter Moves Closer to Replacing Elmore Town Bridge

The City of Baxter only has one major hurdle remaining before work can begin to replace the old Elmore Town Road Bridge.

That according to Mayor John Martin.

“We got all the paperwork from our attorney this week as far as the acquisition of land,” Martin said. “The only thing that we’re waiting on now… TDEC has given their approval for the environmental (study). We’re waiting on TDOT now to give the approval on the bridge.”

Martin said once TDOT approves their bridge design, they should be able to begin construction shortly after.

“We’ve got a specific type of bridge we’re wanting to put in there,” Martin said. “They’re doing a study now and they’ve got to approve that. Once we get that approved, we’re ready to build a bridge.”

In the meantime, Martin urges citizens to be patient, adding the process does take time to complete.

The board of mayor and aldermen decided to take up the project a few years ago, but funding issues caused a delay in the project. The city will be using state aid bridge funding and $17,000 appropriated by the county some 8 to 10 years ago.