By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
Residents along county road 1294 – Mushroom Mines Road – can expect fewer potholes and less winter road damage in the near future if a move by the county proves successful in deterring oversized vehicles.
Fiscal court took action last Wednesday, in special session, to change the load limit on the bridge over the Jacobs Fork/Soldier Fork creek near the intersection with SR 174. The new load limit on the bridge is 25 tons, which should close the bridge to fully loaded tractor trailers and other heavy trucks. A fully loaded tractor trailer can weight up to 40 tons or more, and that weight can do significant damage to roads and bridges, especially during inclement weather, road department head Jason Carroll noted. The road currently has several significant potholes and other damage that is associated with tractor trailers using the road to make deliveries to a farm there and, to a lesser extent, logging trucks entering the state route there. Trucks currently using the road will now have to find alternate routes that do not cross the bridge.
The county plans to work with the transportation department and state police to post enforcement officers at the bridge to discourage violations of the new load limit.
In other road related action, the court took up an employee issue, moving to promote a road department employee to an operator position – with associated pay increase – retroactive to January 25 when there was a significant change in his duties. Carroll told the court that the employee now, “operates machinery most days.”
The court also moved to pass a budget amendment on second reading. The move amends the budget to account for “an increase in unbudgeted receipts” from various grants related to the Rattlesnake Ridge water improvement project.
The court also moved to approve claims and transfers, including incentive payments to the Carter County Detention Center.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
