News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Improvements to the Highway 56 and Highway 70 intersection may be getting underway next year.
Baxter Mayor John Martin reports the Tennessee Department of Transportation hopes to open bids for the project in April.
Alderman Dustin Stanton said he’s happy to finally have a timeline for the project.
“We’ve received a lot of phone calls and we understand how bad the traffic is out there,” Stanton said. “We’re just super excited to get this project underway.”
TDOT spokeswoman Rae-Anne Bradley said the project remains in the early design phase and will likely include traffic light improvements and additional intersection modifications.
A number of crashes have occurred at the intersection over the years, with at least one resulting in a fatality. City officials estimate that 7,000 people drive through the intersection each day.
“A lot of times drivers don’t realize that it’s a four way stop, and if you’re not expecting it there’s going to be an accident,” Holmes said. “We’re excited that we do have a date that we can tell the citizens of Baxter that it’s definitely coming.”
Martin told the board of aldermen last week that TDOT plans to begin construction by May 2020.
