Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Roads And Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Highway committee weighs adopting annexed road, outlines post-storm repairs and drainage work
Summary
Lewis County Highway Committee discussed a constituent request to remove a short dead-end road from a nearby city’s limits and adopt it as county growth, reviewed ongoing bridge and storm repairs after recent floods and snow, and asked staff to continue coordination with state agencies and railroads on drainage fixes.
The Lewis County Highway Committee on Monday, March 3, discussed a resident request that the county take responsibility for a short dead-end road that residents say was involuntarily annexed into the city of Millersville and described ongoing post-storm repairs to bridges, culverts and roads across the county.
The discussion began during public recognition when Jeremy Mansfield, a resident identifying himself as representing District 16, asked the committee to consider taking the road back into the county highway system after residents sought to be annexed out of Millersville because they believed they were not receiving services. “They were annexed into the city involuntarily back in the day,” Mansfield said, adding residents wanted to be “annexed out of the city.”
Committee members and staff described the road as a short, dead-end segment—“probably less than 1,000 feet,” a committee member said—and said they were generally willing to move forward with adopting it as county growth so that the county would provide services. A voice vote followed; committee members said “aye” and the motion was approved by voice vote. The transcript did not record the mover, seconder or a roll-call tally.
Beyond the annexation request, Highway Department staff reported extensive post-storm work. The department said it has inspected more than 500 bridges and completed emergency clearing after floods and a major snow event, and that crews cleaned ditches, replaced culverts, undercut roadbeds and widened shoulders where possible. Staff said they had brought “all 800 miles” of roadway in for snow response and were moving into repair mode as weather allows.
Committee members raised operational and safety concerns. One member asked the county to continue conversations with Director Langford about long-term solutions near Wolfpackway School, including a possible turnaround or parking changes to reduce dangerous U-turns and three-point turns by school traffic. Staff and the committee said they would continue to plan so cost estimates and budgeting can be included in future work plans.
Members also discussed interagency coordination. Staff said the county communicates regularly with state agencies about drainage and roadway issues and follows up with cities when county crews identify problems outside county jurisdiction. The department identified TDOT and TDEC as relevant state agencies and said it had contacted CSX about a plugged railroad culvert on Gallatin Road; staff reported CSX had ordered replacement pipe to address the railroad drainage problem.
Committee members suggested creating a small dedicated storm-and-ditch crew to respond quickly to flooding and drainage problems without interrupting regular pavement and improvement projects. The highway director and staff said they would continue prioritizing emergency repairs and work through their defined district lists.
No ordinance, statute, funding allocation or formal timetable for the road adoption was specified in the transcript. The committee did not record a detailed vote tally for the annexation motion, and committee members said they would coordinate with CTAS and city officials to clarify processes when municipal annexations affect county service responsibilities.
