Georgia bypass around the city badly needed
Chattanooga’s commute is a daily nightmare from the I-75/I-24 split on the east to the I-24/U.S. 27 interchange downtown on the west. Most of the through traffic is in the southeast to northwest direction, i.e., along the Miami to Chicago corridor. Almost all of this traffic could be redirected away from Chattanooga if a bypass was built to the south of Chattanooga — in Georgia.
The approximate route: If traveling north on I-75 from Atlanta, it would start somewhere above Resaca and below Dalton. Going westward, this new bypass would include a Lafayette exchange and another on the east side of Lookout Mountain. Then a tunnel through the narrowest portion of Lookout Mountain would emerge at Rising Fawn and connect with I-59.
Truckers and vacationers wanting to make time would take this route. This bypass would likely capture 60% of truck and 40% of personal vehicular traffic, moving it completely off I-24 and out of Chattanooga. Our roads would become immediately less congested and safer. This new bypass would be heavily used from day one, unlike I-840 in Nashville.
Now how to get USDOT, TDOT, GDOT and various legislative bodies to work collaboratively on such a project?