By Shannon McFarlin News Director
Paris, Tenn.–Six people from the public showed up at Thursday night’s City of Paris public input meeting to discuss the downtown Paris signalization project and the grant project to construct sidewalks on Wilson and Patriot Streets.
TLM Engineer Bob Saffin made presentations on both projects.
The long-awaited sidewalk project—first applied for in 2017 and delayed by the affect the COVID pandemic had on state projects—will begin before the end of the year, Saffin said.
Saffin said projects “take a white to get through TDOT and because of COVID, we couldn’t have public meetings like this one, which are required. Nothing moves quickly when you’re dealing with TDOT, but we are in the final stages, finally.”
Diagrams were shown to those in attendance depicting the scope of the project.
COVID, Saffin said, “has slowed everything down. A lot of state people are still working from home. And you still have to follow the process, including advertising, bids, pre-construction meetings, etc.”
Community Development Director Jennifer Morris said, “It is moving slow. It’s not because we’re not working hard on it. It’s just a slow process.”
The city is at the beginning stages of the downtown Paris signalization project, Saffin said, noting that it will involve seven intersections downtown. “We’re still in the environmental stage on this project, so it’s right at the beginning,” Saffin said.
A major goal of the project is to increase safety of pedestrians. City Manager Kim Foster noted there have been instances of pedestrians being hit by cars in downtown intersections as well as near-misses.
Saffin said under the proposal, all seven intersections will be getting new signal heads with safety features much like the signals at the Jim Adams/Volunteer Drive intersection.
Tammy Walker, who works at Commercial Bank, said her daughter was hit at a downtown intersection and that she regularly is almost hit crossing the street delivering mail to the post office. She wondered whether safety cameras would be in place downtown.
Foster said engineers are looking at all the safety features that can be placed at the intersections, including redoing the corners so there is more room for pedestrians to stand, placing curved islands on the crosswalks, etc.
With the project being in its early stage, Saffin said there is time for the public to have input on how the project will proceed and what safety elements will be included.
Foster noted, “With two major highways coming through downtown, it adds a lot of complications as to what we can do and can’t do.”
Saffin said people with suggestions or comments can contact him through City Hall.
Photo: Engineer Bob Saffin presents information on the projects to members of the public in attendance at the public input meeting. (Shannon McFarlin photo).