Billy Findley
Online Editor
Entrance construction has literally reached the edge of Hwy 27. The state has yet to begin work on the intersection.
In the words of Bryan College President Stephen Livesay, one could literally “spit” from the end of Bryan’s new entrance road to the shoulder of U.S. Highway 27—construction is that close to completion. However, while everything else will be finished by Homecoming on Oct. 1, there will remain one final hold up before students can enter the entrance right off the highway, according to Livesay.
No cars may enter from Hwy. 27 until the Tennessee Department of Transportation is able to complete the new intersection. The intersection will require new traffic lights, median cuts and turn lanes, according to the Project Manager Dan Fry. However, TDOTofficials have said they do not anticipate completing the intersection until sometime in August of 2011, according to Fry.
“I’m not going to try and place the blame on TDOT,” Livesay said. “However, the project did not move along as efficiently as it should have.”
Livesay said he believes personnel changes within TDOT over the past year somehow allowed Bryan’s entrance project to be “pushed to the side,” hindering any progress on the intersection.
“They have indicated that the intersection will not be complete until August of next year. We’re going to encourage them in every possible way to move the process along,” Livesay said.
For Fry, the delay is frustrating because there will be nothing left for the construction workers to do save laying down the pavement between Hwy. 27 and the Landis Way entrance.
“There’s not much to do,” Fry said. “It’s difficult to stop and pick it up again later. You can’t just sit and wait.”
However, while the linkage between Hwy. 27 and Landis Way may be delayed, that does not mean students cannot use the entrance altogether. Students can still enter by Richland Street from either Old Washington Highway or Hwy. 27, according to Vice President of Operations Tim Hostetler.
“When decisions are made through a bureaucracy, everything takes longer,” Hostetler said. “Our dates are light speed compared to theirs.”
All other plans besides the intersection are to be completed on schedule Oct. 1.
To speed up construction on the intersection, Rhea County’s state legislators may need to put some pressure on TDOT, according to Hostetler. State Senator Ken Yager, R, Harriman, has already secured the funds for the traffic light and the rest of the intersection, according to Livesay, who said he is also seeking support from Dayton Mayor Bob Vincent.
“The entrance will be a great asset to the college and the city,” Livesay said.
Despite the delays, Livesay maintained that everything else should be completed according to schedule, including the roundabout, signage and flag pole. He also said there will be celebratory events taking place at Homecoming.
Tags: Bob Vincent, Dan Fry, Ken Yager, Stephen Livesay, TDOT, Tim Hostetler
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