TDOT Performing Corridor Feasibility Study Along 160 Miles of I-75

 

NASHVILLE – If you have ideas on how to improve one of Tennessee’s most important transportation corridors, here’s your chance to share your vision.  The Tennessee Department of Transportation is embarking on a corridor feasibility study to identify improvements for the 160 mile Interstate 75 corridor extending from the Georgia State Line to the Kentucky State Line.   The study will include a series of public meetings along the I-75 corridor beginning in December 2008.

 

The intent of this study is to identify multi-modal (car, truck and rail) solutions for deficiencies identified along I‑75 with emphasis on corridor capacity and freight diversion.  The corridor study will address all modes of travel that use this corridor.  In addition, the study will also look at travel along parallel highways, rail and waterways.

 

“Tennessee continues to face stagnant revenues while demand on our transportation facilities, particularly our interstates, is increasing tremendously,” said Commissioner Gerald Nicely.  “I-75 is a vital transportation corridor, and this study will help TDOT pinpoint cost-effective solutions for short-term improvements while also planning for future long-term investments.”

 

In December 2008, TDOT will hold two meetings along the I-75 corridor to present a project overview, list deficiencies, and offer an initial set of potential solutions.  The first meeting will be held in Knoxville at the West Knoxville Branch Library, 100 Golf Club Road, on Tuesday, December 2, 2008 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The second meeting will be held in Chattanooga on Thursday, December 4, 2008 at the Hamilton Branch YMCA, 7430 Shallowford Road #A from 6:00 until 8:00 p.m. 

 

Members of the public are invited to attend both meetings and share their ideas for improving the I-75 Corridor. In summer 2009, the public will have the opportunity to review the initial prioritization of I-75 improvement projects at additional public meetings.  The study is expected to be completed in October 2009.

 

TDOT’s statewide Long Range Transportation Plan, completed in 2005, considered all modes of transportation and how they can best work together as the needs of the state change. In this plan, I-75 was identified as a strategic corridor that will require major investment.

 

The I-75 Corridor Study will identify improvements 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 and maintenance operations, safety, freight movement, inter-modal connections, and economic access opportunities along I-75 for three time horizons: horizon years 2011, 2016, and 2030.

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TDOT Communications Office

615-741-2331