A van drives on U.S. Highway 41 in Marion County, Tenn., near the Nickajack Lake. The road, although drivable, is in need of repairs especially on the shoulders.
Site of Highway 41 damageRIVERSIDE, Tenn. – Mother Nature has been unkind to the old route U.S. Highway 41 takes around Aetna Mountain between Haletown and Lookout Valley.
A seven-mile section of the road in Marion County is marked with abrupt dips and bumps, collapsing shoulders, damaged guardrails and some areas where guardrails dangle in the air above the ground.
The road isn’t used the same way it was in its heyday, but it still gets plenty of traffic, according to Tennessee Department of Transportation officials. In 2012, 2,246 vehicles traveled between Haletown and the county line every day, records show.
The battered section of asphalt that runs through the Riverside community is due for almost $1 million in work to make it a little smoother and safer, officials say. Meantime, a portable sign warns drivers of a “rough road ahead” and “speed limit 35 mph.”
Longtime Marion County residents Terry Tate and Jay Thomas agree the old road needs help, especially with the recent rains, but they both doubt any fix will last long.