TDOT Performing Corridor Study Along I-40 and I-81

Nashville, Tenn. - As Tennessee’s population increases so does the demand for a quality transportation system for all Tennesseans. The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is embarking on a first of its kind study to identify improvements for the 550 mile Interstate 40/81 corridor between Bristol and Memphis. The corridor traverses nine of Tennessee’s 12 Rural Planning Organizations (RPO) and eight of the state’s 11 Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO)/Transportation Planning Organizations (TPO). The study represents the first multi-modal (car, truck and rail) corridor planning project undertaken by TDOT and is the first step in implementing the department’s recently approved Long Range Transportation Plan.

“Tennessee continues to experience increased demands on our interstates, especially I-40 and I-81, but funding levels are not keeping pace with our transportation needs,” said Commissioner Gerald Nicely. “This study will aid TDOT in identifying and implementing transportation solutions that provide cost effective short-term improvements while also working toward long-term investments in our transportation system.”

The study will identify solutions to a variety of transportation challenges and provide a list of projects that can be considered by TDOT for the department’s ten-year transportation improvement program. Projects will encompass capacity, roadway operations and maintenance, safety, freight movement, inter-modal connections, and economic access opportunities along I-40/I-81 for three time horizons: horizon years 2011, 2016, and 2030.

In late summer, a series of meetings will be held along the corridor to present a project overview, list deficiencies, and offer an initial set of potential solutions. In spring 2008, another series of meetings will provide an opportunity for public review of the initial prioritization of I-40/I-81 improvement projects. The study will be completed in May 2008.