TDOT officials explain need for salt storage in Marion County

TDOT representative Mike Minor explains the salt truck reload procedures and times with a map to the Marion County Commission.
TDOT representative Mike Minor explains the salt truck reload procedures and times with a map to the Marion County Commission.
photo TDOT representative Mike Minor explains the salt truck reload procedures and times with a map to the Marion County Commission.

JASPER, Tenn. - After some Marion County leaders expressed concern last month about the planned construction of a Tennessee Department of Transportation salt storage facility, officials wanted to explain why it's needed.

The salt house will be built in the middle of Interstate 24 at Exit 158 on the empty lot across from Tennessee-Alabama Fireworks.

Some county commissioners complained the facility would be unattractive to drivers traveling into the county along the interstate.

Jeremy Price, a TDOT district manager, said the transportation department has taken the Marion County Commission's input into consideration and showed the board site plans for the new facility at its September meeting.

"At the current time, we have to bring salt from Victoria, [Tenn.], and it's a long way for us to get turned around and come back," he said. "This would better serve Marion County."

Commission Chairman Gene Hargis said the board supports the facility's construction "as long as it doesn't interfere with the line of sight of Tennessee-Alabama Fireworks."

"We've discussed it in several meetings here, and I don't think anybody's got a problem with it as long as it doesn't interfere with that business," he said.

Price said that business owner has expressed a "more pressing concern" about the empty lot growing up with weeds and trees.

"We're here to do whatever we can to make it sightly for people when they drive by and us still be able to do our business out of there," he said.

The plan to build the salt house has been in the works for several years, and Mike Minor, another TDOT representative, said the facility would cut drastically the time needed to reload salt trucks in Marion during bad weather.

If a TDOT truck runs out of salt near the Georgia state line, Minor said, it takes up to an hour and 15 minutes to reload.

"If we could build a salt house here and have all the capabilities we need, we would cut that time down to less than 40 minutes," he said. "That's a pretty big difference. It would help all the routes to have salt trucks be able to reload quicker."

Commissioner Don Adkins said in August that TDOT could offer the county an "olive branch" by opening the eastbound rest area along Interstate 24, which has been closed for years.

Price made no guarantees about that, but he said TDOT is "actively trying" to reopen the rest area.

"I don't have a timeframe, but I can just tell you that we're working hard on doing that," he said. "I hope that makes the people here happy. We're really going to try to make it nice."

Ryan Lewis is based in Marion County. Contact him at ryanlewis34@gmail.com.

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