US 25W and safety
After series of crashes, mayor talking to state
County Commissioner Anthony Allen made the motion to authorize her to work with the Tennessee Department of Transportation on the possible improvements.
Commissioner Robert McKamey seconded. It passed unanimously at the Monday Oct. 16 County Commission meeting.
Frank said that since March 2018 along the Clinton Highway corridor, the county has had four fatal crashes and 10 crashes with serious injuries. She defined serious injuries as ones that affect people’s quality of life.
More details on these crashes are in the Oct. 16 County Commission agenda available on the Anderson County website, andersontn.org.
The list counts crashes on Clinton Highway between Bull Run Road and the Knox County border.
Frank said a fatal crash on Clinton Highway near Shepard Lane Sept. 26 inspired her to act.
“Let’s reach out again; maybe there’s other ideas for safety improvements,” she said.
She said TDOT proposed safety improvements to Clinton Highway “years ago.”
Those proposals took place after conversations among the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, Tennessee Highway Patrol, herself and others, Frank said.
The discussion resulted in some proposed “limited” improvements, including using technology at Beck’s Curve to give it more of a “gripping surface,” she said.
Frank did not say what changes she wanted to see.
But Commissioner Tracy Wandell said he would not want to see the four-lane Clinton Highway go down to two lanes.
“It might be safer, but if ... there’s an accident on (I-75) north or south, and they start coming down to one lane, there’d be all kinds of problems,” Wandell said.
He also said sometimes drivers who are drunk or distracted by phones can cause wrecks, and road improvements won’t always stop them.
Also at the same meeting, the commission approved the mayor’s request to investigate the authority of the county Library Board over library employees.
