Cookeville City Council discussed finalizing a plan to relocate a TVA transmission tower at the intersection of South Jefferson Avenue and Neal Street during Monday’s work session.
City Manager James Mills said the state allocation will cover nearly the entire cost of the $759,000 relocation project. Mills said after years of work and requests, the tower relocation will be the first of a series of upgrades the city plans to bring to the intersection.
“We want to thank our state representative Ryan Williams for all his hard work and getting this allocation from the state to help us complete this movement, which we hope and we know will help us do more improvements in that intersection,” Mills said.
Energy Director Carl Haney said the project involves replacing the existing structure with a single pole further back from the road to increase clearance and improve traffic flow.
“The structure now is obviously a lattice structure there on the corner,” Haney said. “It will go to a single pole structure just east I guess of that one. It should give quite a bit more room there between both Jefferson and Neal Street. It’s going to make a huge difference.
Haney said the total cost of the project is $789,187, which includes engineering and the replacement of the structure. Mills said the city previously paid a $30,000 deposit for a study, leaving a remaining balance of $759,187.
Mills said the relocation allows for the demolition of what is left of the retaining wall after years of collisions.
“We’ll that retaining wall will be demoed and we want to increase that turning radius,” Mills said. “I know you guys have seen I don’t know how many tractor-trailers I’ve seen stuck up on that. Jon (Ward) sees it every day just about coming into work.”
Haney said the project has been under development for several years and will require approximately 12 months of environmental and engineering work before construction starts in September 2027. Once the construction begins, Haney said the relocation will take three months to complete.
“It’s all that government red tape,” Mills said. “We’re excited, though.”
Mills said the city has worked with state officials for a long time to secure the necessary funding for the intersection improvements.
The council will formally consider the agreement with TVA during its regular meeting on Thursday.