There's not much of a view of the Ocoee River in the idea but Tennessee Department of Transportation officials are considering a new, 6-mile-long tunnel option in studies of the U.S. Highway 64 improvement project in Polk County.
The project, dubbed "Corridor K," is in the environmental study phase and the tunnel option will be added to the six alternatives officials are already looking at for improving the traffic corridor through the Ocoee River Gorge. Options also include doing nothing.
"We want to be sure that we look closely at every possible solution to the challenges we face in this area," TDOT Commissioner John Schroer said in a prepared statement.
There has been debate for decades on the state's ideas for improving the Ocoee River Gorge route by replacing the current winding two-lane with a wider three- or four-lane road. Rock slides on Nov. 10, 2009, that blocked the U.S. highway for weeks gave Corridor K improvements new life. One slide that day was captured on video.
There have been subsequent slides in the same area -- a little east of the Highway 30 junction on Highway 64 -- that begins a stretch of tight curves, slim shoulders and a long drop to the river in the gorge. State officials have worked to stabilize the mountainside, but slides still occur.
If built, the new tunnel would plunge into the mountainside near the Highway 30 junction and burrow eastward six miles to emerge near Ocoee Powerhouse No. 3. Officials are considering either a single tunnel or a series of shorter tunnels.
Polk County Executive Hoyt Firestone says tunnels have been discussed many times among the ideas for better ways to get across the mountains. The county needs an improved route, he said, noting the 2009 slide forced some residents to take an 80-mile detour.
The idea of short tunnels usually was incorporated into discussions of surface routes said Firestone, who has been part of the talks since the early 1980s.
"I don't think the amount of tunneling [discussed in the past] was the scale they're talking about now," he said.
"If it'll keep the project alive, that's great, but it's going to extend the [Draft Environmental Impact Statement] at least another year. And I'm a bit concerned about the cost," he said.
Previously cost discussions appeared to show tunneling is more costly than "cut and fill" road construction, he said.
TDOT conducted a high-level conceptual study on a possible tunnel before pitching the option to the environmental resource and regulatory agencies involved in the project. Officials want to determine whether the tunnel option would have significantly less impact on the environment.
TDOT officials say the idea "was well received."
To officially include the tunnel option in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, design and environmental studies will have to be done to reflect its potential impacts. Studies are already completed on the previous alternatives to be included in the statement, according to officials.
The statement provides comprehensive information about the purpose and need for the project, proposed plans and potential environmental, social and economic impacts. When studies are complete on the tunnel idea, results will be included in the statement that will be released for public review and comment.
The Federal Highway Administration has called for approval of the statement by the winter of 2016.
Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or twitter.com/BenBenton or www.facebook.com/ben.benton1 or 423-757-6569.