Winding, rock slide-prone U.S. Highway 64 is one step closer to being replaced, but it may be more than a decade before any construction work is actually begun.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation today released a report detailing 10 alternate routes to U.S. 64. The project, dubbed Corridor K, is the final leg in a massive state and federally funded highway project meant to link Appalachia with the East Coast.
The 10 alternates were developed with TDOT officials and community members. The alternates range from doing nothing to constructing an entirely new $1.2 billion four-lane highway that runs north of Little Frog Mountain. Middle-of-the-road options carry price tags of about $300 million and use a mix of new and old roads.
In November 2009, U.S. 64 was closed for seven months when a massive rock slide blocked the road. While the route is a scenic shortcut to the North Carolina mountains, it is also the primary route from eastern Polk County to Cleveland and Chattanooga.
Now that the options for U.S. 64 alternatives have been delivered to state officials, a multi-year, four-step evaluation process has been initiated, said Wes Hughen, the project manager. TDOT will begin asking for input on the options almost immediately, but Mr. Hughen said the state won’t select a final plan until winter of 2012, he said.
After that, construction could only start when funding is made available.
For complete details, see tomorrow’s Times Free Press.