News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Cookeville City Council approved the first reading of reopening the connection between Salem Church Road and England Drive.
Planning Director Jon Ward said that the connection was closed by ordinance in 2002 by city council against the recommendations of the Planning and the Public Works Departments.
“Reopening this street would provide access to a traffic light-controlled intersection at Neal Street,” Ward said. “At closure, it was stipulated the access would remain open for emergency vehicles. However, at the current conditions, it does not appear that emergency vehicles can utilize the current collection.”
Ward said that an estimate from the Public Works Department to open the connection would cost some $31,000. He said that the council would have to take further action to decide when to finance the project. City Manager James Mills said that it would be included in next year’s fiscal budget.
Ward said that the city would be responsible for the cost of the work. He said that the developer of the property to the east would be willing to donate any right-of-way necessary free of charge.
“The planning commission when we looked at it,” Councilman Eric Walker said. “And certainly part of the reason that I think it’s a great thing for the city is that that fire station si the closest fire station to Neal Street. That’s a direct route to a stoplight and it greatly advances what is a very long paved road in Cookeville. So you don’t just gain a little bit of road for $30,000, but a lot of road. And it certainly opens into a developed area that’s got hundreds of millions of dollars of development investment.”
