Elmore Town Bridge Repairs Await State Funding

Putnam County officially closed the Elmore Town Bridge on Monday.

Putnam County Road Supervisor Randy Jones said work crews prepared a detour last week.

“We have put up barricades and last week, we put in time and made a detour around the bridge,” Jones said. “And we have it open this morning so the traffic can go on, and the bridge is officially closed.”

Repairs for the Elmore Town Bridge must wait for additional state funding. Jones said the Poplar Grove Bridge project cleared out the state-aid bridge fund two years ago.

“We have to build up a little money before we do the project. We are back up to $170,000 or $180,000 now,” Jones said. “And we will receive about another $65,000 in July.”

Jones said engineering work will take place while the county waits on the additional money.

“You know, to get the bridge laid out and make sure everything is going to work properly,” Jones said. “We built this detour around the bridge far enough down spring that we have room to go ahead and do work on the bridge when we get the engineering done and the funds appropriated.”

The City of Baxter decided to de-annex the bridge in April. Jones said the money would come from the same fund whether Baxter or Putnam County spearheaded the project.

“I think we can probably do it a little cheaper than the city of Baxter was planning on doing it,” Jones said. “The quality is not going to be any less, it is going to be, I think the design and the engineer that I have that follows these projects, so I think we can get it done a little cheaper.”

A previous Tennessee Department of Transportation inspection prevented large vehicles, including school buses from crossing the bridge.