BENTON, Tenn. -- If Polk County, Tenn., residents want funding for a new highway to get around rock slides like the one last month, they will need to first convince state and local officials that the project is necessary.
That’s the word from U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tennessee, who spoke on the proposed Corridor K project briefly during a town hall meeting in Black Bear Cove Resort today.
“The state has not yet said that Corridor K ... is something they think should happen today. I think they are loooking at some other alternatives,” Sen. Corker said. “I believe that one of the things we need most in this country is updated and adequate infrastructure.
“We will pay attention to the federal appropriations, which is our responsibility after the state and local government decides where they want roadways to go.”
The issue came up in a forum mostly dominated by talk of health care reform because of a a Nov. 10 rock slide on U.S. Highway 64 in Polk County. The road’s closure has caused headaches for residents of the eastern part of the county. Those who commute to work in Cleveland and Chattanooga have seen their drives increase between 45 minutes and an hour.
For complete details, see tomorrow’s Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Adam Crisp covers education issues for the Times Free Press. He joined the paper's staff in 2007 and initially covered crime, public safety, courts and general assignment topics. Prior to Chattanooga, Crisp was a crime reporter at the Savannah Morning News and has been a reporter and editor at community newspapers in southeast Georgia. In college, he led his student paper to a first-place general excellence award from the Georgia College Press Association. He earned ...
Bob Corker - for all Tennesseans.
Or login with:
New Account