The town of Signal Mountain is facing more costs than planned for the rehabilitation of James Boulevard.
At the most recent Town Council work session, Public Works Director Loretta Hopper told the council the town needs to hire a consultant to conduct a historical survey of the street, per the State Historic Preservation Office.
Town representatives thought replacing the historic Signal Mountain trolley rails that crisscross – and are deteriorating – the roadbed would be enough to satisfy any historical-type requirements, but through discussions with the Tennessee Department of Transporation it was decided a historical survey is needed.
No official agreement has been made with a consultant, Hopper said in a follow-up interview, so the cost to hire one has not yet been determined.
She said the consultant needs to be certified through TDOT since it’s overseeing the rehabilitation project, which has been approved for a Transportation Improvement Project grant of up to $592,800. The federal government will supply 80 percent of the grant amount and the town will be responsible for the remaining 20 percent, plus any overage.
The current cost for the rehabilitation, without the extra cost for the consultant, is $592,800, said Hopper.
Depending on the consultant’s recommendation, the town may have to use concrete that looks similar to the original concrete. Hopper said one way to do that would be to use a river-rock aggregate concrete, which could pile on an extra $200,000.
The other option in that case would be to purchase colored concrete, which would also add to the total cost of the project. Colored concrete also poses other challenges, Hopper said. It’s difficult to create a consistent color of concrete from batch to batch, she explained.
“Preliminarily, it looks like they are saying putting in new concrete would not have an adverse effect,” said Hopper.
But town officials won’t know for sure until the consultant makes the report and presents it to TDOT for review, which could take two-plus months, she added.
The lower-cost option of asphalt was originally considered, but the road would need to be repaved more often. Concrete could last 50-100 years.