Last week, East Ridge officials opened bids for the widening and partial raising of Camp Jordan Parkway, and they were shocked at the results.
First, there were only two bids entered for the project, which will take the road from two to four lanes and add a grass median.
And second, each bid came in at more than $2 million – or, $1 million over what was budgeted for the project.
The road will feed into Jordan Crossing, the 50-acre mega commercial retail development to be anchored by Bass Pro Shops. Jordan Crossing is East Ridge’s take on border retail development, and will consist of a dozen or more stores and service outlets, likely including at least one new hotel.
The project opened the door for East Ridge to take advantage of state tax incentives through legislation designed to get major projects to come to Tennessee instead of its neighbors.