Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 5/12/17. Officials celebrate during the grand opening of the new Tom Rowland Interchange in Cleveland, Tenn., on May 12, 2017. CLEVELAND, Tenn. - With the grand opening of the Mayor Tom Rowland Interchange on APD-40, major industrial and commercial development is expected to follow in southern Bradley County.
The full-diamond interchange, named after the long-serving Cleveland mayor, sits just east of recently overhauled Exit 20 on Interstate 75 and west of U.S. 11/Lee Highway. South of the interchange, the new Cherokee Gateway leads to the 331-acre Spring Branch Industrial Park, which awaits power, fiber, water and sewer hookups.
On Friday, Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner John Schroer opened the interchange dedication ceremony by underscoring the real reason for the interconnected road projects.
"We now have the full monty to do what we need to get businesses into this community," Schroer said. "At the end of the day, this is what it's all about."
TDOT spent $22.6 million on the interchange project and another $12.9 million to widen and make other improvements to Exit 20.
Rowland thanked Rep. Kevin Brooks, R-Cleveland, and Sen. Mike Bell, R-Riceville, who sponsored a bill to name the interchange in his honor.
"This is not about me, this is about the opportunities we have with jobs," Rowland said. "We look forward to great things happening with industrial development and commercial development."
The three projects - Cherokee Gateway, the Mayor Tom Rowland Interchange and the Exit 20 makeover - have taken about five years since contractors broke ground.
Bradley County Mayor D. Gary Davis assured the audience talks about transforming the area went back 20 years.
Schroer praised the vision for creating the industrial and commercial opportunities.
"Oftentimes, it means a big investment, and you have to build it before they will come," Schroer said. "That's how communities grow, that's how things develop and that's how you bring jobs to communities."
Doug Berry, vice president of economic development for the Cleveland- Bradley Chamber of Commerce, said commercial and industrial opportunities could bring in between 4,000 and 5,000 jobs in 10 years.
"We believe we can construct about 3 million square feet of manufacturing space that should generate about 2,500 jobs under our typical plant ratios," Berry said. "Then, when you look at the potential 100 acres of commercial development, it looks as though it should create roughly 2,200 jobs."
Five years ago, development officials envisioned Spring Branch Industrial Park would attract suppliers for Volkswagen and Wacker Chemie. However, Berry sees the potential for a wide mix.
"We believe this will be a fairly diverse industrial park in terms of the types of businesses," Berry said. "I'm currently working with food manufacturers, heavy equipment constructors, and companies that make consumer products. Right now I'm working with a couple companies that are tied to automotive segments of the economy, which might be possible suppliers to Volkswagen."
All together, Bradley County, Cleveland and Cleveland Utilities have pitched in $14.5 million to the project, Berry said.
Park development calls for using 125 acres to serve as buffers between it and the nearby McDonald community, plus making bank improvements to Spring Branch, which runs through the park, Berry said.
"We all understand we need to be good neighbors in this process," Berry said. "The whole objective of this park is to demonstrate to this community - and to the region - that we can accommodate industrial development and commercial development and we can do it in a way that is as context-sensitive as we can make it."
Contact staff writer Paul Leach at 423-757-6481 or pleach@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @pleach_tfp.