A right-of-way dispute between the Tennessee Department of Transportation and Sligo Marina which has delayed plans to bid out a $31 million project for a new bridge over the Caney Fork should become a non-issue after the marina’s lease expires early next year, 46th District State Representative Mark Pody told the Review Friday.
Pody spoke with constituents who shared their concerns about  local issues at the Board of Education building in Smithville as part of his continuing town-hall meeting program.
Negotiations with the marina, which wants the state to pay for potential losses of revenue during construction, have held up the letting of bids on the new bridge project,
The project calls for replacement of the existing bridge, which is structurally deficient and functionally obsolete.
The new bridge will be located north of the existing bridge, which will remain open to traffic during construction.
“A lot of people ask me for updates on some of the transportation projects in their area,” Pody said. “I met with TDOT, and they gave me an update on all the road and bridge work in the area. We talked about Sligo Bridge. They have been stalled on the project because of negotiations with the marina.”
Pody said that the new lease is expected to contain language that includes a right-of-way for the new structure,
“Here’s the newest thing; That (lease) agreement between the marina owners and the Corps of Engineers is set to expire in February 2013 and the new agreement should allow for TDOT to let the project go for construction. I anticipate the project being let out in the first quarter of 2103.”
Pody said Hurricane Bridge is on schedule to be completed by the beginning of summer, ahead of the projected October date.
“I expect them to beat the October date very easily,” he noted.
The town hall meetings will be held every third Friday of each month on the third floor of Board of Education building.
Pody said that plans are to invite certain groups to the meetings to discuss issues that concern them.
“We plan to start having groups in. One week we may have all pastors, or county commissioners, or educators,” he shared. “We want to do law enforcement one week, and veterans.”
He said individuals will always be welcome as well.
“I will be glad to talk to anybody. Any constituent who has a problem is welcome to sit down and talk. We can talk privately if that’s what they need.”
Pody said one of the benifits of the town hall format is that his constituents will always be able to reach him.
“People will know where to find me. They know I will be here, so they won’t have to worry about calling Nashville, or wherever, and trying to find me.
Sometimes people just want to talk to someone face-to-face.”
The representative said that while he may not always have the answer to every problem, he will be able to locate someone who can help solve the problem.
“If I talk to someone who has an issue with, say, unemployment, I may not have all the answers, but I can hook them up with the right people,” he said. “I can follow the case to make sure they get what they are supposed to get.”