Budget doubles for Queener Road

Parker Wright news-herald.net

The Queener Road project is finally seeing some movement after being put off for years.

The original plan for the project dates back to 2014 and was supposed to be completed in a three- to five-year window, Ty Ross, Loudon city manager, said.

Ross said funding is part of the reason to blame on the delay.

“(Of the project) 40 percent of Queener Road is federal dollars, 50 percent is state dollars, only 10 percent local,” Ross said. “So we were never driving the bus. It was always those larger funding sources. Some of it has to do with annual budgets, and some of it’s just political.”

The original project was budgeted at $1.3 million. As of July 22, it is now estimated to be $3.3 million due to engineers finding new areas for improvements like a sidewalk spanning the full length of the road.

“The city of Loudon wants this road, so we were happy to triple our 10 percent, but going to these other funding sources, that was difficult, but they’re all on board now,” Ross said. “That’s the amended budget, so we’re good to go.”

Officials are now waiting on a notice to proceed from the Tennessee Department of Transportation. Ross said the city is working to hire construction engineering and inspection services from a list of TDOT approved inspectors. Construction cannot proceed without this step, but utility relocation has begun.

Ross expects between October and December a bid will be awarded for paving and construction.

Loudon Mayor Jeff Harris said not doing the project was never an option, even if federal and state monies couldn’t be obtained. Jack Qualls, Loudon County Economic Development Agency executive director, had the right contacts and was able to facilitate conversation to get everyone on board with the funding, he said.

“We would have to make some adjustments and probably what we would have to do is I mean we would take it out of the $4 million that we’re planning for the paving project,” Harris said. “So some roads may not have gotten the attention, may not have gotten paved, if we would’ve had to take more money out of that for Queener Road. We’re committed to finishing this Queener Road project.”

The project’s priority is high among Loudon City Council, city employees and residents along Queener Road.

“Whatever we say, it could be a legitimate reason, but it just looks like an excuse,” Harris said. “It’s going on so long now anything short of getting it done, I don’t know that anybody’s going to have much tolerance for, because it’s been so long, so many years. I mean we, myself and the council that’s there now, inherited the problem but we’ve got to finish it. We’re committed to it and whatever it takes is what we’re going to do to get this thing finished.”