Hamilton County Commissioner Steve Highlander knows he can’t snap his fingers and solve the traffic problems around the Ooltewah exit on Interstate 75, but he wanted to be sure county legislative delegation members kept the snarl on their minds as they headed to Nashville for this year’s legislative session.
So when Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp asked members of the commission present at last week’s legislative breakfast if they had anything they wanted to share, the District 9 commission quickly hopped up.
Highlander, who represents most of the northern end of the county east of the Tennessee River and west of Interstate 75, mentioned to legislators a potential Exit 13 on I-75 and a southbound entrance ramp onto I-75 from Hunter Road.
Neither are on lists of projects planned for the short run or long run, but he feels the need is there for relief from the traffic that congests daily at the Ooltewah exit coming from growing developments along Hunter, Snowhill and Mountain View roads.
Those ideas, Highlander told this page Thursday, are my “layman’s ideas.” But if he could talk to the federal highway department, he would tell them he would be happy with “whatever you think is best to give us some traffic relief.”