Oak Ridge Today

State announces $347K grant to improve sidewalks in Norris

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TDOT Norris Grant

Among those pictured above during a TDOT grant ceremony in Norris on Friday are, third from left, Senator Randy McNally, an Oak Ridge Republican; Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, fourth from left; Norris Mayor Chris Mitchell; Representative Dennis Powers, a Jacksboro Republican; and partially obscured, Representative John Ragan, an Oak Ridge Republican. (Photo courtesy TDOT via Facebook)

 

NORRIS—Tennessee officials announced Friday that they have awarded a $347,760 transportation alternative grant to the city of Norris for a project known as East Norris Sidewalk Improvements.

The grant was announced by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner John Schroer during a Friday visit to East Tennessee that also includes stops in Rockwood and Knoxville.

The Norris project includes a six-foot-wide concrete trail starting at the intersection of East Norris Road and Dairy Pond Road extending approximately 2,000 feet to Andersonville Highway, a press release said. At the end of the trail, two crosswalks will be constructed to provide pedestrians with safe access to Sycamore Place and a nearby shopping center. The project will join existing sidewalks along East Norris Road, providing the final connection to area schools, recreational facilities, the local business district, and shopping. [Read more…]

Report: Haslam in Norris on Friday

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Bill Haslam during Presidential Visit at Pellissippi State

Governor Bill Haslam is pictured above during a visit by President Barack Obama at Pellissippi State Community College on Friday, January 9. (File photo by Rob Welton)

 

Information from WYSH Radio

According to the Norris Bulletin, Governor Bill Haslam will be in Norris on Friday to announce that the city has been awarded a $347,000 grant by the Tennessee Department of Transportation to build a new sidewalk along East Norris from Dairy Pond Road to the intersection with Highway 61.

The grant will also provide financing for a new crosswalk that will permit easier pedestrian traffic and easier access to the existing retail shops on the other side of the highway.

Officials told the Bulletin that a significant amount of preliminary engineering and design work will be required before construction on the project can begin and said it is likely that no actual work would begin for at least a year. [Read more…]

Rain, flooding through Thursday; Anderson County schools, roads closed

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Irwin Mill Road Flooding

Water rushes over Irwin Mill Road off Sinking Springs Road northeast of downtown Clinton on Wednesday, burying a one-lane bridge on a narrow, winding road under what appears to be several feet of water.

Anderson County schools closed today, and weather forecasters say a stationary storm system could continue dumping light to moderate rain on the region through Thursday, possibly creating more flooding along some waterways and other low-lying areas.

Ten Anderson County roads are closed, impassable, or affected by flooding, authorities said. Among the closed roads are Batley Road at Airport Road and the 300 block of Bush Road in Marlow, Midway Drive and Airport Road in Oliver Springs, Irwin Mill Road in Clinton, and the bridge on Pumpkin Hollow Road at Brooks Gap Road near Interstate 75.

Anderson County dispatchers said Lower Clear Creek Road and Dairy Pond Road in Norris are impassable, and Brooks Gap Road and the 400 block of Old Dutch Valley Road have a lot of water over them.

[Read more…]