Baxter faces a quarter-million-dollar expense to upgrade water and sewer infrastructure as part of T-DOT’s Interstate 40 interchange reconstruction project.
Baxter City Engineer Tom Bennett said the city will only be responsible for increasing utility capacity beyond what is required for relocation. Bennett said preliminary plans for the project were completed Thursday, with submission to T-DOT scheduled for Friday.
“The over $3 million dollars, you would only be responsible for any up-sizing and I’m at about 250,000 in that range for that up-sizing of those facilities subject to Department’s approval, T-DOT,” Bennett said.
Bennett said the project includes an 18-inch water main extending from south of Interstate 40 along First Avenue, increasing an existing six-inch line to eight inches, and installing a sewer force main. A larger casing beneath the interstate will also accommodate future expansion.
Engineers expect another six to eight months of meetings to finalize designs and contracts for the improvements.
Bennett said the interchange reconstruction will extend from the Holman Maxwell Road area north beyond First Avenue, requiring the relocation of Baxter’s main water supply line and a sewer force main connected to a pump station.
Bennett said that under T-DOT’s utility relocation reimbursement provisions, the state covers eligible costs associated with moving existing infrastructure to accommodate highway construction. Baxter must cover additional expenses for increasing utility capacity beyond existing specifications.
The interchange improvements are intended to accommodate continued development and traffic growth around Baxter’s Interstate 40 exit. Bennett said final utility drawings have previously been targeted for summer 2027.