Several Jackson County Commissioners spoke against a T-DOT decision Monday night to close State Route 53 for a culvert replacement project.
T-DOT announced the estimated $2.7 million project last Thursday, with a proposed 50-day closure at Hurricane Branch Lane. Commissioner Joe Barlow said he had safety concerns, as fire and EMS response times are going to be slower. Barlow also said he had concerns about the proposed alternate school bus routes that have never been used and are not safe.
“In order to reach those kids, we are gonna have to come over either Pigeon Roost Hill, which is extremely steep if you have never been on it, and or Old Antioch, which us old timers called it Hamilton Branch Hill,” Barlow said.
Barlow suggested that the county commission go on record and send a letter to the state opposing the closure.
After a lengthy discussion, the commission unanimously decided to hold a special-called meeting on November 10 to vote on a resolution to oppose the closure.
“Clearly, I feel that it’s a safety issue and I think anybody thinking in a clear mind would see that as well,” Barlow said. “And also, I wanted to be on record, and I felt that probably the court would want to be on record because if, and you know that if, it’s just a two-letter word, but it’s huge, something terrible were to happen because of or in the result of that road being fully closed, then I want to be on record that I was opposed to it.”
Commissioner Troy York said the closure is going to affect all of Jackson County. He said it will also impact Clay County. York said the county needs to do something about the closure.
Commissioner Jack Meadows said the closure will also impact the county in more ways than one.
“It’s gonna also cost us in business,” Meadows said. “The freight companies are gonna shoot the rates way high if they have to drive from Celina all the way up through Livingston coming around.”
In other business, the commission approved a letter from the comptroller for the approval of a corrected appropriation in the county’s budget. The correction was addressing a typo.
The commission approved a Highway Department inventory list.
The commission also approved three members to the Library Board of Trustees. The following members approved are Thomas Arnold, Deb Searcy, and Emily Sneed.
