Bypass paving could be done as early as Friday

By CHARLES W. JOHNSON / News Editor for the Southern Standard

Employees of APAC-TN work to give a major section of the bypass a smooth new surface. The TDOT project is slated to pave the state four-lane from the Angels bridge to the VFW bridge. (Charles W. Johnson photo)

Anyone traveling along the bypass between Angels bridge and the VFW bridge will have noticed their tax dollars at work as a Tennessee Department of Transportation project to redo the paving on this almost five mile length of state road is well underway.

Paving contractor APAC-TN was awarded the state contract and the Warren County division of the company began work last week, according to APAC branch manager Jimmy Martin.

Though most citizens realize roads require periodic maintenance, the inconvenience that results when a heavily traveled stretch of highway, such as the bypass, is a major concern for local residents, leading many to wonder when the work will be completed, a question Martin was glad to address, estimating that, best case scenario, the project should be completed by this Friday, Sept. 26, or by Wednesday, Oct. 1 at the very latest.

“Depending on the weather,” he added. “But everything is going very well.”

Martin said he is well aware of the traffic problems a project like this presents, but hopes everyone will find the results worth it.

“We’re trying to make this as convenient as possible,” he said. “We know that people are out there, they’re trying to get to work, they’re trying to get to the store, they’re trying to pick their kids up, and we apologize for the inconvenience. We’re just trying to make them a good road to ride on, and when we get done, we hope they’ll forget about all this inconvenience.”

State inspectors made the determination the road was in need of repairs, though some locals have remarked the road looked as if it was in good shape.

“But if you noticed, it had cracks in it,” Martin said, “and if they don’t do this and repair it now, it will just deteriorate until it’s beyond repair. Then you have to go in and do a complete renovation.”

Martin said the process begins by taking off the layer of worn and damaged paving.

“We’re milling off the top layer and trying to get down to some good hard surface, and then we’ll put new mix in on top of it,” he said.

The project will require around 9500 tons of hot mix, Martin said, though that could vary as the job progresses.

Martin said this is not the first time the road has been repaired since it was originally built in the late 70s or early 80s.

“It’s been resurfaced before,” he said, though he couldn’t say how long ago the work had been performed.

TDOT inspector Robert Tubb confirmed the road was definitely in need of work.

“The road was in bad shape,” he said, estimating it had been eight to 10 years since this section had been done.

“This will really improve the road condition,” he said.