Bruce Saltsman

Bruce Saltsman
Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Transportation
In office
January 21, 1995 – January 18, 2003[1]
GovernorDon Sundquist
Preceded byCarl Wood (acting)
Succeeded byGerald F. Nicely
Personal details
Born
John Bruce Saltsman

(1930-08-28)August 28, 1930
Loretto, Kentucky, U.S.
DiedSeptember 1, 2017(2017-09-01) (aged 87)
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseEdna Elaine

John Bruce Saltsman (August 28, 1930 – September 1, 2017) was the Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Transportation from 1995 to 2003.[2] Before becoming commissioner, he was a road construction company executive with McDowell-Saltsman Construction, Saltsman Construction, and Rodgers and Saltsman Construction.[3][4]

In 1996, Saltsman along with Governor Don Sundquist, approved a $160,000 grant to convert a bridge in Townsend, Tennessee to a covered bridge, but later announced that the grant had been pulled.[5] The bridge was closed to traffic in 2009 and became a pedestrian bridge.[6] During his tenure as commissioner, Saltsman oversaw the construction of State Route 840's southern loop around Davidson County, and the planning for the route's northern loop which was cancelled shortly after he left office due to budget and environmental issues.[7][8]

After Republican Bill Haslam won the 2010 gubernatorial election, there was speculation that Saltsman would return to his former position at the Department of Transportation.[9] Saltsman did not return to politics, and Haslam instead chose John Schroer to serve as commissioner.[10]

On September 2, 2014, a portion of U.S. Route 64 in Lawrenceburg was renamed in Saltsman's honor.[11] Saltsman's son Chip is an American politician, who has served as a political adviser and campaign manager.

  1. ^ "TDOT Commissioner History". Tennessee Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  2. ^ "Bruce Saltsman, former TDOT commissioner, dies aged 87". Tennessee Journal: On the Hill. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  3. ^ "John Bruce Saltsman". Legacy.com. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  4. ^ "The Agency's Latest Blunders". nashvillescene.com. Nashville Scene. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  5. ^ Butler, Iva. "State pulls funding for covered bridge". thedailytimes.com. The Daily Times. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  6. ^ Jones, Andrew (September 11, 2019). "Construction on Townsend's covered bridge begins, set to finish in under two months". The Daily Times. The Daily Times. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  7. ^ Peebles, Jennifer (July 31, 1996). "18-mile section of I-840 may open by end of the year". The Tennessean. The Tennessean. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  8. ^ Tennessee Department of Transportation (October 31, 2003). "TDOT Announces Decision on State Route 840 North" (PDF) (Press release). Tennessee Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 27, 2007. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  9. ^ Whitehouse, Ken (November 11, 2010). "Cabinet making". NashvillePost.com. F.W. Publishing. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  10. ^ Reisinger, Brian (January 4, 2011). "Franklin Mayor John Schroer tapped as Haslam's transportation chief". American City Business Journals. Advance Publications. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  11. ^ "Bruce Saltsman Bypass Dedication". Facebook. Tennessee Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 23, 2020.