Yahoo Autos Tennessee is pouring $3 billion into roads. Could part of it pay for Knoxville's bypass?
Highways through Knox County have some of the worst traffic in the entire state of Tennessee, and ideas have been swirling for year on how to fix it.
A $3 billion Tennessee transportation bill backed by Gov. Bill Lee offers some hope.
The Tennessee State Senate passed the plan and if the House votes for it March 27, the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s four regions would each receive $750 million for projects.
Knox News spoke with state Sen. Becky Duncan Massey, R-Knoxville, chair of the Senate Transportation and Safety Committee, to see how East Tennessee's cut of the money could be used to solve traffic issues for Knox County. It's a pressing issue since the county is expected to welcome about 79,000 new residents by 2040.
She helped explain how it all could play out.
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How much of that $750 million will go to Knox County?
Money from the bill will primarily focused on traffic congestion issues in the state, Massey told Knox News. Those are most prominent in urban areas of the state, of course, so funding will be funneled to places like Knoxville.
“In Knoxville, if we average that average daily traffic counts over a three-year period and throughout the state, we have 1,000 more cars a day than Nashville does,” Massey said.
Knoxville won't get all the funding, since TDOT's East Tennessee region includes 24 counties spanning from Morgan to Johnson County.
Through the bill, Knox County also will get an additional $8.28 million in state aid over and above the $750 million, according to Massey. That's more money to fix a quality of life issue for Knox County residents.
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How can the money be used for Knox County projects?
The exact roadway fixes are still under consideration, but Massey said Knox County has identified several traffic issues that need to be addressed, like reworking the Interstate 75 and I-640 interchange, a regular disruptor of traffic because of the number of commercial trucks that use it.
The bill includes proposed "choice lanes," an additional lane with less traffic because drivers have to would pay to use. Massey compared it to a Disneyland FastPass or a TSA PreCheck. Others call it a toll lane. Buses and emergency vehicles would be able to use it for free.
It's far different than toll roads in other states, where all drivers have to pay to pass through. Using a choice lane is optional. Massey said your choice to use one all depends on where you're going and how fast you need to get there.
