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Polk County adopts resolution asking CSX and TDOT to repair, reopen Columbus Road bridge (Bridge 700)
Summary
The Polk County legislative body passed a resolution asking CSX Railroad to repair Bridge 700 and asking the Tennessee Department of Transportation to reopen the span while repairs proceed, citing five families cut off by periodic flooding and attached support letters from emergency services.
Polk County’s legislative body voted to adopt a resolution requesting CSX Railroad complete repairs to Bridge 700 on Columbus Road and asking the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) to reopen the bridge while repairs are under way. The resolution was passed during the county’s January 2025 regular session in Benton.
The resolution says Bridge 700 was declared unfit for traffic following a bridge inspection and was closed in August 2024. It notes five households in the Delano area that the county says can be cut off by routine heavy rains and floodwaters. The resolution asks that Bridge 700 receive the same consideration given to other Polk County bridges with similar inspection ratings and attaches letters from the Polk County 9-1-1 director and the county’s emergency management director in support.
During discussion, a presenter described repeated inspections and a sequence of repairs and reinspections by state and federal inspectors. The presenter said residents feel the closure has disproportionately affected the Delano community and described instances when flooding and fallen trees have limited access to the area. The presenter also said the railroad had replaced boards and that subsequent inspections led to reclosure of the span; the presenter urged the county to formalize the request through a resolution.
County Executive Hatcher was not the motion maker on the floor for the resolution but was referenced during remarks about coordination with state agencies. Commissioners spoke briefly before the roll call verifying the motion and the meeting clerk read the resolution’s purpose into the record.
The resolution directs the county executive’s office to transmit the request to CSX and TDOT and to include the attached agency letters documenting emergency-service concerns. According to meeting materials, the resolution takes effect upon passage.
The county recorded the resolution as passed in the meeting’s roll call.
The county’s discussion did not include a detailed timetable for repairs or a TDOT/CSX response; those matters are left to the railroad and state agency.
