TDOT announces road projects for Anderson County

May 31, 2017 by Heather Miller

The Transportation Coalition of Tennessee held a press conference Thursday, May 25, at 10:00 a.m. at Claxton Elementary School to apprise the public of the IMPROVE Act’s local funding projects and projects now under way with the Tennessee Department of Transportation in Anderson County.

Details of the IMPROVE Act’s $88.3 million project for Rural Access SR-170 from SR-9/US-25W (Clinton Highway) to SR-162 (Oak Ridge Highway) were released to the public.

The total funding for Anderson County projects from the IMPROVE funds is $98, 954, 000. This includes Tennessee Department of Transportation road and bridge projects.

Officials with the Transportation Coalition and state officials informed the public of seven TDOT projects in Anderson County that will be funded by IMPROVE act funds.

The seven TDOT projects funded by the IMPROVE Act include the following: Meadow Street Bridge over Right Fork Coal Creek ($425,000); Briar Cliff Avenue Bridge over Branch ($254,000); Old State Circle Bridge Over Bull Run Creek ($2,419,000); SR-170 from SR-9/US-25W (Clinton Hwy) TO SR-162 (Oak Ridge Hwy) ($88,320,000); SR-61 State Hwy. 61 Bridge over Brushy Creek ($2,234,000); US-25W (SR- 9) US-HWY. 25W Bridge Over Bull Run Creek ($4,802,000); and I-75 ITS instrumentation at SR-61 (Andersonville Hwy., EXIT 122) Interchange ($500,000).

“The press conference is part of a 95-county, statewide media tour,” the press release noted.

Present at the conference to answer questions from the public were Charles Schneider, with Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge).

The IMPROVE Act was created to provide a long-term funding source to fix outdated transportation infrastructure across the state.

While the act includes a modest increase to user fees on roads and bridges, it provides a significant tax cut to business, grocery, and Hall income taxes.

Part of the revenue from user fees will come from visiting tourists, officials said, so Tennessee residents will not be the only road users paying for the increase.

The people who use the state’s roadways will pay for road maintenance.

What the IMPROVE Act does is prioritize 962 projects across Tennessee’s 95 counties, addressing a backlog in road repairs and projects.