About $700,000 in state funding has been identified to fix an access road in Tusculum that is vital to the Jarden Zinc Products operation.

The 650-foot stretch of Ball Road needing repair is in the City of Tusculum and serves as the primary access route to Jarden Zinc, which is located nearby on Old Stage Road.

The funding came in refreshingly expedited fashion.

After a meeting of local, state and company officials at the site in December, an application was submitted Dec. 16 to the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) by Bill Forrester, economic development manager of the First Tennessee Development District.

Forrester acted on behalf of the City of Tusculum and other project advocates that include Tom Wennogle, Jarden Zinc president; Tom Ferguson, president and CEO of the Greene County Partnership; County Mayor Alan Broyles; County Road Superintendent David Weems; and State Rep. David Hawk, R-5th, of Greeneville.

Forrester received a letter dated Jan. 6 from TDOT Commissioner John C. Schroer.

It said the agency determined the proposal "is eligible and approved for funding under the provisions of our State Industrial Access Road Program."

TDOT will survey and design the road, obtain required permits and construct the project at no cost to Tusculum.

The acquisition of right-of-way and the relocation of utilities will be paid for on a 50-50 basis between TDOT and the city.

A 2009 study estimated the cost of the work at $681,000, Mayor John Foster said.

Tusculum has limited financial resources and could not have afforded the project on its own.

"It turned around real quick -- about the fastest I've ever seen it turn around," Foster said.

The road was built about 40 years ago to help attract the Ball Brothers Glass Manufacturing Co. to the area.

The company later became Alltrista Zinc Products Co., which is today known as Jarden Zinc Products, a subsidiary of the Jarden Zinc Corporation.

Tusculum has spent at least $100,000 over the years making temporary repairs, but the road still exhibits "slipping, sliding and sinking" tendencies and remains unstable, Foster said.

"It's a deep fill about 30 feet deep. They may have to excavate this and get down to the base," Foster said. "This is a big project, and it will certainly help Jarden Zinc, and it will certainly help the City of Tusculum. It's a huge expense for the city to pick up."

Foster said he does not know yet how much it will cost the city to pay its share of relocating any utilities in the project zone.

In addition to being the primary access road for trucks going to and exiting Jarden Zinc, Ball Road is also used by heavy trucks leaving the county landfill.

"Jarden has approximately 46 trucks per day which utilize Ball Road and a total of 39 trucks per day exiting the landfill, for a total of 85 trucks per day," Foster said.

Jarden Zinc recently added a production line and refurbished another at its coin blank production facility.

Wennogle said Monday that the road rebuilding project is "critical" to continued operations at the facility.

"It's great news, and personally, I think the story goes way beyond the road getting fixed. This was a great example of all the entities working together," Wennogle said.

"All representatives were willing to help and work for the project and that was great. I was so impressed by the responsiveness of the Tennessee Department of Transportation, and the administration and the governor's support.

"[Gov. Bill Haslam] wants to support existing businesses that are investing in job creations in Tennessee, and he put his words into action," Wennogle said.

If Ball Road became impassable, "We'd certainly be in trouble," he added.

"It's a very great outcome, and I'm just pleased we're going to have this looked after," he said.

Ferguson said local officials took a look at the condition of the road and then had two meetings with TDOT.

"The case we made to them is, it's an economic development issue. If something happens to that road, then Jarden has no way to get their trucks in and out of there," he said.

The stretch of road needing work was poorly designed, Ferguson said. Given the size of Tusculum and limited resources, availability of the grant money for the project is a good solution, he added.

TDOT is in the process of drafting an agreement detailing participation and responsibilities of the state and local governments.

"It looks very positive. It's very important for the economic success of Jarden Zinc," Ferguson said.

Foster said the shifting of Ball Road's foundation in the problem area within the city has caused the road to sink in several places, resulting in a height difference of eight inches from one side to the other.

"The road has settled to the point where it is feared the road could collapse," Foster said.

He is appreciative of the cooperation between agencies and officials.

"The City of Tusculum mayor and commissioners would like to thank TDOT Commissioner John C. Schroer for their quick response to Tusculum's request," Foster said.