New Jasper roadway connector project on track for spring completion [photos]

The $12.3 million state project to build a new road on the north end of Jasper, Tenn., to connect State routes 28 and 150 is a little behind schedule but Tennessee Department of Transportation officials believe the project can still make its completion date by the end of May. Jones Brothers Inc., of Mt. Juliet, Tenn., is the contractor.
The $12.3 million state project to build a new road on the north end of Jasper, Tenn., to connect State routes 28 and 150 is a little behind schedule but Tennessee Department of Transportation officials believe the project can still make its completion date by the end of May. Jones Brothers Inc., of Mt. Juliet, Tenn., is the contractor.

JASPER, Tenn. - The state's $12.3 million connector project north of Jasper is a little behind schedule, but officials still believe it should be wrapped up by May 31.

The connector is a 1.3-mile road starting at the intersection of State Route 150/U.S. Highway 41 and Valley View Highway. It moves east through open woods, pasture and several creeks to join State Route 28, the main north-south artery in Marion County and the southern part of Sequatchie County.

The road is inside Jasper's city limits and is bordered by privately owned property that is mostly undeveloped, said Jennifer Flynn, spokeswoman for the Chattanooga region of the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

The idea is to reduce the amount of through-traffic in downtown Jasper where U.S. Highway 41 - Main Street - turns east around the Marion County Courthouse square and heads toward Highway 28, nearer to Interstate 24.

The roads in downtown Jasper are two-way, two-lane roads with no room to for widening.

"Reducing through-traffic in the area has potential to improve safety in downtown Jasper, as well as provide increased safety for motorists who would utilize the new State Route 150 connector," Flynn said in an email. "The new road will improve the existing north-south route to serve demand for regional accessibility to [U.S. 41] and should also provide economic growth potential for the city of Jasper and Marion County by improving the highway system to attract new industry."

The work also will increase the capacity and "motorist comfort levels" on State Route 150 west of Jasper as it leads to Tracy City in Grundy County and points west, Flynn said.

Flynn said no downtown Jasper businesses have complained. Much of the traffic through Jasper comes from the direction of Kimball, Tenn., on U.S. Highway 72, another link to I-24.

Brian Phillips, who is the third-generation of Phillips Furniture on Betsy Pack Drive in downtown Jasper, said he wasn't sure what the impact of diverting commercial truck traffic would be on businesses but he didn't expect it to be too negative.

"Most of my business comes from Chattanooga," Phillips said.

Hes said he understands the need to reroute truck traffic around town to I-24. He's adopting a "wait and see" attitude on the impact of business traffic.

A tour of the courthouse square and surrounding blocks shows most of the nonresidential space downtown is occupied by government and lawyers' offices, a salon, a drugstore and similar retailers. Businesses on Main Street-Highway 41 are situated nearer to Jasper's exit at State Route 28.

Haley Graham, who works at New Beginnings Church just a block or so from the west end of the project, said she'll use the new road to get to her parents' house in Whitwell.

Even though Valley View Highway winds away from the same intersection to Whitwell, Graham usually drives through Jasper to State Route 28.

The new route will be quicker and "it will help get the heavy trucks out of town," she said.

"Now I won't have to go through all those stoplights to get to [Route] 28," Graham said.

Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.

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