In the next few months, state and local officials expect to know more about the feasibility of building a toll bridge in the Chattanooga area.
A draft report of a Tennessee Department of Transportation feasibility study is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year, offering the first look at everything from costs to impact of the bridge.
But even if the feasibility study is positive, it could take a decade or more for a toll bridge to be approved and built, transportation officials said.
County and state officials have discussed a Hamilton County road project that would include a toll bridge from Soddy-Daisy to Harrison across the Tennessee River, said TDOT public information officer Julie Oaks. TDOT also is considering four alternative locations between Interstate 75 and U.S. 27 in the same general area, she said.
Toll bridge timeline* June 2007: The Tennessee General Assembly passes the Tennessee Tollway Act, which allows for one toll bridge and one toll road project for the state.* September 2007: The Hamilton County Commission appoints a committee to look into the feasibility of a toll bridge.* February 2008: TDOT unveils possible routes for bridge project.* November 2008: TDOT officials say toll unlikely to fully fund bridge operation.* February 2009: A preliminary feasibility report by an engineering firm says two proposed bridge routes "have the potential to be fully funded by toll revenues."* May 2009: After learning of the possibility of two toll bridge projects, one in Chattanooga and one in Memphis, the General Assembly agrees to allow two toll projects of any kind in the state.* December 2009: Several county and state elected officials meet with Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner Gerald Nicely and say they like the possibility of a toll bridge in Chattanooga.* December 2010: A draft of TDOT's feasibility study on a toll bridge in Chattanooga is expected to be complete.
When evaluating a toll bridge location, planners "tried to focus where we thought we'll have growth," said Karen Rennich, senior planner with the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency.
They decided that the area they call central Hamilton County will see substantial growth driven by Volkswagen and other industries. A TDOT study defines central Hamilton County as the area bounded by I-75 to the east, U.S. 27 to the west, Bonny Oaks Drive to the south and Mahan Gap Road to the north.
In a separate study funded by TDOT, the planning agency anticipates that, by 2035, the number of homes in central Hamilton County will increase from 30,100 to 50,100 and that the Enterprise South industrial park where Volkswagen is located will have 11,000 more jobs.
The agency also anticipates 4,000 more jobs in the area outside Enterprise South.
"The development of Enterprise South, any transportation enhancements, road widening or new connections," all are being examined, Rennich said. "If there is a bridge, what will that do to transportation patterns?"
County Mayor Claude Ramsey believes a new bridge is necessary and, while not a fan of a toll bridge, said that may be the only way to get it built.
"My preference would be that it not be a toll bridge, but it appears that's the only way to get it funded because of the scarcity of money," he said. "The bridge is certainly needed, and if that's the only way it can be done, then I support a toll bridge."
In addition to its implications for TDOT's feasibility report, the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency study is intended to be used as a guide when considering future zoning changes, school locations and places to put commercial and residential development, Rennich said.
The planning agency will host two meetings this week to distribute information and get ideas from the public about the growth projections and the potential impact of a toll bridge.
Charles Payne, who lives in City Council District 5, where the Volkswagen plant is located, recommends widening more roads to prepare for more people instead of building a toll bridge.
"A lot of roads are outdated," he said. "Look at improving what you already have."
He said he can spend $15 a day on toll bridges in New York when visiting friends and family, and that's just going in one direction. Toll bridges are good in that they help drivers save time, but they are expensive, he said.
"If you put the toll bridge up, it's a cash cow and you never take it down," he said.
Hamilton County Commissioner Chester Bankston, who represents the Harrison area, said residents in the Harrison area are ready to see it happen. They believe the result will be shorter travel time and less traffic.
"Everyone I talked to welcomes it with open arms," he said. "We want it to get started."
new life for old idea
The toll bridge proposal under study is the latest incarnation of an idea that's been around for a while.
"That bridge has been needed and talked about since the early '70s," said Ramsey.
The idea was given new life in 2007 when the state General Assembly passed the Tennessee Tollway Act, which approved a limited number of toll projects in the state.
Memphis is the only other city where TDOT is still studying the possibility of a toll bridge. Other areas were determined not to be feasible or had too much public opposition, Oaks said.
If the TDOT study finds that a toll bridge is feasible for Chattanooga, an environmental study will be needed.
Ultimately, all study findings would be presented to the General Assembly, which would decide whether to appropriate money for the bridge, said Oaks.
After the environmental study is completed and the necessary approvals obtained, actually constructing the bridge will probably take about 10 years, Oaks said.
Constructing a bridge would likely run into the tens of millions of dollars, but the anticipated toll money could be used to help pay for it.
State Rep. Bill Harmon, D-Dunlap, said the state could issue a revenue bond to pay for the initial construction. Money from the tolls could be used to pay off the bond and, when the payments are complete, the toll could go away, he said.
Harmon said the cost of roadways leading to the bridge should also be factored in the expense.
He said the last bridge across the Tennessee River that was put out for bid was a replacement for the old bridge across U.S. Highway 41. That was five years ago, and the estimated cost at that time was $30 million.
The replacement bridge didn't get rebuilt because the state didn't have the money, he said.