In case you missed it, here’s a look back at a few business highlights for the past week.
Redesign of intersection at Highway 45 Bypass and Interstate 40 complete
Now that construction is complete, Clark Shaw, the owner and CEO of the Old Country Store at Casey Jones Village shared a few thoughts about the redesign of the intersection at Casey Jones Lane and Carriage House Drive at the Highway 45 Bypass – and a U-Turn that should have never been in the first place.
“The design has been an issue for over 30 years,” Shaw said. “The process to seek a solution was started by my two former colleagues, Norwood Jones, Lawrence Taylor and myself, over 20 years ago when we called a meeting of around 50 business owners to urge a change in the design.
“They eagerly agreed to sign a letter and petition we had prepared and addressed to Governor (Don) Sundquist.”
Shaw said the project also had the strong support of local government officials – past and present.
“Our mayors, both City and County, our City Planning and Engineering Departments,” Shaw said. “Mayors Jerry Gist (Jackson) and Jimmy Harris (Madison County) led the way in recent years.”
Shaw said it didn’t hurt that the Tennessee Department of Transportation agreed the previous layout was poorly designed.
“They worked hard with the City of Jackson and our state legislators to make this happen,” Shaw said. “It was approved by then-TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely at the end of Governor (Phil) Bredesen’s second term, and the project is now being completed at the end of Governor (Bill) Haslam’s second term where TDOT Commissioner John Schroer has kept a close eye on things.
“The wheels moved slowly – three governors, three state department of transportation commissioners – but they did keep moving.”
Shaw applauded the efforts of the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
“We can’t say enough good things about TDOT’s regional director, Jason Baker and their spokesperson Nichole Lawrence who went out of their way to keep us in the loop and the Dement family and all the folks at Delta Contractors (a division of Dement Construction) and Martin Paving.
“Delta was the general contractor, ably lead by project coordinator Josh Morton who constantly communicated their progress with us. They opened the intersection three weeks ahead of schedule.”
With more than 50,000 vehicles using the Highway 45 Bypass daily, Shaw said the area will be much safer.
When the U.S. Highway 45 Bypass was built in 1964, it was accessed by an average of 3,180 vehicles per day.
“It will allow businesses in the area to grow more business since the poor design and crazy legal U-Turn scared off folks from driving in the area, and it will open more than 100 acres (between the Highway 45 Bypass and Hollywood Drive) for future economic development which will mean jobs, commerce and taxes to grow our community.”
J-Petal Japanese Crepe & Thai Ice Cream, opens
J-Petal Japanese Crepe & Thai Ice Cream, has opened at 19 Stonebrook Place in West Towne Commons, next to Kroger.
A few of the ice cream items on the menu will include the Cookie Monster (Oreo and Chocolate Pocky Stick), Girl Best Friend (Strawberry, Banana, Popcorn) and the Green Hulk (Oreo, Banana, Matcha, Walnut, Marshmallow).
J-Petal Crepes originated from Japanese Crepes, which are made with fresh vegetables, fruit and meat.
Restaurant hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.
Owner Ryan Sun, also owns No. 1 Chinese Food, 3189 North Highland Avenue.
TriStar Storage opens on Old Humboldt Road
TriStar Storage offers 86 new mini-storage buildings at 929 Old Humboldt Road, next to Elmcroft of Jackson.
The facility is locally owned and operated and prices start at $35 a month.
TriStar also offers 208 mini-storage buildings at 64 Northstar Drive.
Henson Construction Services turning shipping containers into ‘Safe Zones’
NEWS/TALK 101.5 FM and WNWS.COM visited with Cary Henson, for a question and answer session about “Safe Zones,” a joint venture between two companies owned by Cary and his two sons, Jimmy and Chris – Henson Construction Services, Inc. (HCS), and Envirosafe Solutions of America (ESSA).
HCS remains the only Jackson/Madison County based company that specializes in school construction management, and HCS & ESSA are expanding their base to include a unique concept to provide business, institutions & homeowners options to own a multi-use “Safe Zone” to protect employees & family from tornadoes or intruders seeking to harm them.
For complete Q&A Click Here
(PHOTO: J-Petal Japanese Crepe & Thai Ice Cream opens in West Towne Commons)
David Thomas, Twitter – @DavidThomasWNWS
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