New Rocky Fork Road/Bridge Project Plagued with Huge Cost Overuns Due to Mistakes & Omissions?

$1.4 Million contract awarded to
Mountain States contractor to do
new road & bridge in 90 days!

Thurs. nite board meeting reveals
serious mistakes and omissions?
Is it any wonder that the Mayor is ill
and stressed out over the mistakes?

Reinforcing Steel left out of plans
for the new bridge? Whose fault is
this? Anybody care? Who is qualified
in town hall to read and understand
plans? How come the consultants
Florence & Hutcheson didn't catch
this huge omission? What will the
new estimate for steel cost?

Today's Tues. 9/11/07 Tennessean
says "the bridge drawings were pre-
pared by consultants Florence &
Hutchinson. Who are site managing
the construction of the project and
that they are supposedly aware of this
issue." Great! The town board should
deduct the cost of the steel from their
fee. And closely monitor Clifton & King
designer of the approach roadways.
DUH! You have to connect the
approach roadway to the bridge, right?
Bridge designer and consultants over-
seeing the site must work together to
avoid even more cost overuns!

Plans do not show need for a drain-
age ditch on south side of Rocky Fork
at Newsome Lane? Will TDOT require
drainage pipes under road? If so the
road elevation has to be raised? How
much will this additional cost add to
the original contract? Whose fault is
this? Again, anybody care?

Consultants recommend after the
contract has been let that the new
Rocky Fork road be increased in
thickness to withstand higher traffic
loads including heavy trucks? How
much will this cost over and above
the original contract? Estimate is now
running over $70,000. or more?

TDOT has informed town that new
traffic light at intersection of the new
Rocky Fork road on Nolensville road
and the new Clovercroft road would
start ASAP! Guess who pays for this
$100,000 project? Probably the town.
Why you ask? Because the board is
too weak to ask Cates/Kottas of Bent
Creek to pay for it as originally agreed?

By now are you getting the very uneasy
feeling that our elected group of leaders
are "out-to-lunch" totally unqualified to
deal with contracts and new highway
plans? Watch this group closely and see
if they penalize the engineer who drew
up the plans & make that firm pay for the
extra costs? How about cutting the pay
of the consultants that missed most of
these mistakes? These are not just little
"oversights"? They are huge and costly
MISTAKES the town should not have to
pay for! Wanna bet that they DO!

Get this! The new steel for the bridge will
now be purchased at top dollar per the
contractor who needs it urgently!

Bottom Line! Everybody involved in this
project will make much more money!
Everybody but the town! The town will
pay top dollar thanks to the total and
unnecessary incompetence of those
involved in town hall! Now is when
voters wish for a 2-year term limit on
all elected leaders!

PREDICTION! Come Nov.07 deadline
with many cost overruns and delays
and extra costs by contractor the
total cost will grow way beyond TWO
MILLION DOLLARS AND MORE!