TDOT has no plans to move mountain of asphalt
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It’s not what was done necessarily that is causing some raised eyebrows, but rather what was left over. Last year, Tennessee Department of Transportation contractors removed 1-1/4 inches of pavement from the bypass road between the VFW and Angels Bridge in preparation for resurfacing.
The old pavement was left near Angels Bridge and appears not to be going anywhere anytime soon. A TDOT official, responding to questions about the pile of debris also known as milling material, said it is being stockpiled there for later use.
“Instead of purchasing stone, TDOT’s maintenance crews use this milling material to perform routine maintenance work,” said the department’s regional community relations officer, Jennifer Osborne.
“This material is being used in work that our maintenance forces perform on a regular basis, such as shoulder work, driveway work and intersection work. Using this recycled material is cost-effective and saves the taxpayers’ money,” she added, noting it is not known how long it will take for crews to use the rest of the stockpile because it is used on an as-needed basis.
The area in question is coincidentally located directly across the highway from the city of McMinnville’s tree planting project near the intersection of Nashville Highway and the Highway 70 bypass, where dozens of trees were planted two years ago with the assistance of grant money.
The city’s urban forester, Nick Kuhn, gained state approval to plant there since the trees were next to the highway. Kuhn said the debris pile bothers him in terms of location.
“I’d love to make that intersection look nicer and they tell me I can’t do anything that will take away from the place – I can’t make any changes – and then they go ahead and build a mountain out of old asphalt,” Kuhn said. “I don’t like it and I think it takes away from the look and they should have known better. That’s obvious. Anybody you ask is going to say that.”