John Bruce Saltsman (August 28, 1930 – September 1, 2017) was the Commissioner of the
Tennessee Department of Transportation
The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is the department of transportation for the State of Tennessee, with multimodal responsibilities in roadways, aviation, public transit, waterways, and railroads. It was established in 1915 as the ...
from 1995 to 2003. Before becoming commissioner, he was a road construction company executive with McDowell-Saltsman Construction, Saltsman Construction, and Rodgers and Saltsman Construction.
In 1996, Saltsman along with Governor
Don Sundquist
Donald Kenneth Sundquist (March 15, 1936 – August 27, 2023) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 47th governor of Tennessee from 1995 to 2003. Prior to his governorship, he represented Tennessee's 7th congressional dis ...
, approved a $160,000 grant to convert a bridge in
Townsend, Tennessee
Townsend is a city in Blount County, Tennessee. The city was chartered in 1921 by persons who were involved with the Little River Railroad and Lumber Company. The population was 550 at the 2020 census. For thousands of years a site of Native Amer ...
to a covered bridge, but later announced that the grant had been pulled. The bridge was closed to traffic in 2009 and became a pedestrian bridge. 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.
After Republican
Bill Haslam
William Edward Haslam (; born August 23, 1958) is an American billionaire businessman and politician who served as the 49th governor of Tennessee from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Haslam previously served as the 67th mayor of ...
won the
2010 gubernatorial election, there was speculation that Saltsman would return to his former position at the Department of Transportation. Saltsman did not return to politics, and Haslam instead chose John Schroer to serve as commissioner.
On September 2, 2014, a portion of
U.S. Route 64
U.S. Route 64 (US 64) is an east–west United States highway that runs for 2,281 miles (3,672 km) from Nags Head in eastern North Carolina to just southwest of the Four Corners in northeast Arizona. The western terminus is at U.S. Route ...
in
Lawrenceburg was renamed in Saltsman's honor.
Saltsman's son
Chip
Chip may refer to:
Food
* Chip (snack), thinly sliced and deep-fried gastro item
** Potato chips (US) or crisp (UK)
* Chips (fried potato strips) (UK) or french fries (US) (common as a takeout side)
* Game chips, thin chip/French fries
* Choco ...
is an American politician, who has served as a political adviser and campaign manager.
References
1930 births
State cabinet secretaries of Tennessee
2017 deaths
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