TDOT Holds Public Meetings About Proposed I-24 Expansion
As shown on TDOT’s website, these are the three proposed improvement stages.
By LYDIA BERGLAR
News Editor
As advertised in the previous two issues of the Sentinel, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) held two public meetings last week so that the public could learn about and provide input into proposed improvements to I-24.
The Sentinel did not attend either meeting, but several Chattanooga news outlets covered the meeting, so be sure to check those sources.
Don Townsend (county executive) attended the July 8 meeting, and three other Dade County representatives attended the July 10 meeting: Bill Pullen (North Dade county commissioner), Evan Stone (economic development/Industrial Development Authority director), and Carey Anderson (county director of communications). The county reported that several citizens also attended, and more information will be available on the county’s website soon.
Split into three phases, the corridor under consideration extends from the I-59 interchange to the U.S. 27 interchange. Only the third phase (from I-59 to the state line) is in Dade County, but the entire project will significantly impact Dade Countians and Alabama residents driving into Chattanooga, as well as anyone else traveling on I-24.
The proposed plans include adding a lane in each direction, widening the shoulders, and addressing deteriorating infrastructure. Construction is not planned to begin until 2027.
Several Dade Countians on social media expressed a strong desire to see the improvements completed but also mentioned concerns about travel delays during the roadwork.
Cliff Auman also shared with the Sentinel that he doesn’t think another lane is the solution. He said, “I travel through major cities on a regular basis, and the cities with some sort of alternate routes tend to have more cohesive traffic flow.”
He believes that the traffic volume is too high for another lane to be the solution. “This just feels like putting a band-aid on instead of resolving the root cause. In my opinion, some bypass route to go around the city will be the solution needed. The time to choose is here, and I challenge everyone to ask themselves: Should our governments be proactive and plan for the future or reactive and alleviate an immediate problem only to have these issues again in the coming years?”
Of course, one difficulty with an alternate route in our area is the topography. With our mountains and rivers, where could a route easily go?
However, Auman said, “There are already some possible reroutes for I-75 traffic, such as utilizing U.S. 411 from south of Dalton, Ga., and returning to I-75 somewhere near Cleveland, Tenn. Regarding I-59 and I-24, that would ultimately be an engineering decision, but perhaps a four-lane from the Resaca, Ga., area to Valley Head, Ala., could be a potential route.”
TDOT will be accepting public input through Aug. 1. Email your input to TDOT.Comments@tn.gov; call 1-855-925-2801 and, when prompted, enter project code 11638; or send mail to 505 Deadrick Street, Suite 700, Nashville, Tennessee 37243-033.
