News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Baxter Planning Committee has revised its Transportation wishlist setting priorities for road improvements.
Commission Member Thomas Daniels said the city could use more turning lanes or at least making the ones that do exist more pronounced. Daniels said the First Avenue intersection is an accident waiting to happen. Daniels said the lanes are marked wrong and are very confusing.
“I don’t know what you’d call it but just as a consumer there over Dyers Mill, the way you come across if you’re on the gas station side that you go straight in the turn lane, I don’t know what you’d call that improvement,” Daniels said. “It’s an accident waiting to happen, people in the wrong lane all the time, you gotta get a turning lane.”
Board Chairman Richard Waller said the intersection of First Ave and Highway 70 causes problems for school bus drivers. Waller said the last approach was to create a ninety-degree turn instead of having a Y intersection. Waller said if you want to turn west, you can’t see around the curve.
“Well there are good days and bad days and good times and bad times with school traffic there,” Waller said. “But it’s kind of a crazy, old-timey intersection.”
Commission Member Bob Lane said Broad Street needs some work done. Lane said Broad Street needs to be milled because of water issues the city is having. Lane said all the paving is gone from the street.
“We’re dealing with it today, there’s always some sort of issue,” Lane said. “They paved so many layers of pavement, it’s higher than the entrances to the building on the lower side.”
The Committee agreed sidewalks needed from Upperman High School to the 56/70 intersection. Milling, paving, and striping needed on Broad Street. First Avenue South widening needed from Broad Street to Buffalo Valley. The Committee asked that the 90-degree turn at the First Avenue North and Highway 70 intersection be removed. The committee decided to remove the Main Street widening project from the list.
The county will collect all the wishlist items in an effort to prioritize the county’s needs with one voice to T-DOT.
