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Signal Mountain council presses for TDOT briefing as it pursues MPO funds for Old Town sidewalks
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Summary
Council agreed to keep an MPO funding request on the table for the Old Town sidewalk project while asking staff to secure a TDOT briefing and to defer nonessential engineering spending until the town gets clearer timelines and cost estimates.
Signal Mountain’s Town Council on March 23 agreed to pursue a potential $563,839 amendment from the metropolitan planning organization for the Old Town sidewalk project while demanding clearer answers from the Tennessee Department of Transportation on schedule and right-of-way steps before committing further engineering funds.
At a lengthy discussion of project history and mounting cost uncertainty, Town Manager Mr. Justice told the council the MPO plans to consider amending its April 22 agenda to include the town’s request. “They have given us the answer that they can grant us these funds,” Mr. Justice said, adding that the allocation still required formal action by the MPO board.
Council members debated trade-offs. One member warned that the town has repeatedly been “on the cusp” of right‑of‑way approval for years without seeing concrete work begin and urged caution about rolling more money into a project slowed by state approvals. Another member argued the MPO match would save the town significant dollars compared with doing the work in‑house.
Council discussed these specific financing points: the staff reported $563,839 as the MPO-authorized amount; staff estimated 80% would be MPO-funded with a 20% local match. Council members referenced prior town estimates for full project costs that varied widely in discussion; members noted a need for updated right‑of‑way, scope and cost projections before locking in further engineering.
The council reached consensus on two steps: (1) ask Mr. Justice and staff to press TDOT for a presentation to the council so members can question schedule, right‑of‑way and approval steps directly, and (2) keep the MPO request on the April 22 agenda while reserving the town’s decision until after the TDOT briefing and any updated cost projection. The mayor proposed halting additional nonessential engineering work until the council has the new information; several members agreed that spending should be paused if a final decision is not imminent.
Next steps: staff will seek a TDOT representative for a future meeting (the council asked that staff try to secure a speaker before April 22 or call a special meeting if that is the only way to get TDOT to appear). The MPO board meeting remains scheduled for April 22; the council expects staff to report back with TDOT availability and refined cost and scope data prior to any formal commitment.
Why it matters: The sidewalk project has been discussed for years and has been repeatedly re‑scoped as costs rose. Council members cited both resident safety concerns in Old Town and the need to avoid committing local funds without clearer assurances on schedule and right‑of‑way approvals.
