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Carter County authorizes temporary bridge lease after TDOT orders Ensor Cemetery Road structure closed
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Summary
Facing closure of the Ensor Cemetery Road bridge after a TDOT inspection, commissioners approved leasing a temporary Landworx bridge to maintain access for four families while the main bridge is replaced; lease and rental PO plans were discussed and approved.
Commissioners authorized an emergency lease for a temporary bridge on Ensor Cemetery Road after TDOT inspectors ordered the county to close the existing structure.
Road Superintendent Shannon Burchett told the board TDOT inspected the Ensor Cemetery Road bridge and “gave seven days to close it.” He said the bridge serves four families who would otherwise have no route out of the area. Burchett said the county has identified a temporary solution through Landworx — an installed temporary bridge and rental — and that two purchase orders already were prepared: one to bring the bridge to the site and a second for the rental. He provided an initial installation and 28-month rental cost estimate of about $44,135.84.
The commission first voted to suspend the rules to address the time-sensitive item, then approved a motion to lease a temporary bridge for the length of construction on the Ensor Cemetery Road bridge, to be funded from the Highway Department’s Unassigned Fund Balance. The motion specified a not-to-exceed figure of $450,000 for the lease and related expenses. The vote carried unanimously where recorded.
Separately, the board also approved an MOU with the Tennessee Department of Transportation to install school-zone flashing beacons on SR 91 at Hunter Elementary School, a separate highway-safety action.
The temporary-bridge action is intended to preserve emergency access and daily travel for affected residents until the main bridge replacement can be completed.