CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Montgomery County Commissioner David Shelton just couldn't help but notice — even though Clarksville's F&M Bank Arena has been open for months, the road in front has remained closed.
"Once I started seeing the fact that these orange and white barrels are not going away, that’s when I started asking," said Shelton, who represents District 21 in Montgomery County.
It turns out, the construction of the arena itself may be to blame.
"That drilling also damaged some of the ground work underneath the street to the point where there are visible cracks just closer to the top of the hill," explained Shelton. "And when a Clarksville Street Department employee dropped a plum line down into that crack, it kept going another four feet."
Clarksville Street Department Director David Smith confirms that the substructure of North Second Street, from College Street to Main Street, has become unsettled.
"The work at the arena may have contributed, but there may have been pre-existing subsurface conditions that we were unaware of until the work at the arena was done. The important thing is that all parties are working on the best path forward," Smith said in a statement to NewsChannel 5.
Smith says they're not worried about North Second Street collapsing on itself, but that it could cause future damage.
"The concern isn't a catastrophic failure of the roadway, but rather premature deterioration leading to additional cost and closures," explained Smith.
However, Skanska USA, the contractor behind construction of F&M Bank Arena, denies their construction impacted the road.
"After testing by Montgomery County, it was found there is no construction issue regarding North Second Avenue. We do not have any information on when the City and Street Department will reopen the street, but the timing is in their purview," Skanska USA said in a statement.
A spokesperson for Montgomery County declined to comment, referring us to Skanska USA.
Shelton says the unsettling also impacted businesses nearby.
"They actually damaged some of these buildings across the street and so the contractor’s responsible for those repairs. My understanding is nearly all of that has been done," he said.
NewsChannel 5 reached out to Jack B. Turner and Associates, one of the businesses impacted, but they declined to comment.
Smith says repairs could take until the end of the year, which is not the news Downtown Clarksville businesses likely want to hear. "Nobody likes it, several of the businesses around here, because it cuts into that direct access into downtown," said Shelton.
But Commissioner Shelton says he's glad the Clarksville Street Department is taking notice of something that could have become a real problem.
"There has to be some looking underneath the street to make sure it’s done right," he said.
