News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Cookeville Water Department having to change its plans for the Joff Drive Waterline project.
Water Quality Control Director Barry Turner said the goal is to get rid of an old waterline that runs under the Putnam County Bus Garage and the stock barn property. He said after initial work was started, crews determined a change would be necessary.
“When we looked the utilities in South Jefferson we were going to have to be about 15 feet deep to cross South Jefferson,” Turner said. “So instead of doing that where it’d be so deep that we couldn’t really get to it to repair it, we ran along South Jefferson up to where the existing water line crossed South Jefferson.”
Turner said the change will cost an additional $39,500. He said the setbacks have altered the timeline for the project, and adds 70 days.
“It’s an old cast iron line and it runs under an existing building,” Turner said. “We felt like when the county sells the bus garage property we’d need to move it there. Also, we wanted to get some water meters moved up onto the right-of-way instead of down close to the building.”
Turner said they hope to make this compatible with the future South Jefferson waterline replacement from the County Courthouse to I-40. He said they plan to bid that project in the spring.
“This has already affected us a little bit, but we hope to get back on track,” Turner said.
