Rep. Eric Watson of Bradley County said he will speak before the Tennessee General Assembly tonight "concerning the need for Corridor K."
Rep. Watson drafted HJR754 and will present the resolution to the assembly for a vote this evening.
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 754
By Watson
A RESOLUTION expressing support for the Corridor K highway project.
WHEREAS, the Appalachian Development Highway system was authorized by the
United States Congress in 1965 as part of the Appalachian Regional Commission’s efforts to
combat poverty; and
WHEREAS, the system included twenty-six corridors in thirteen states from New York to
Mississippi, with Corridor K being the name given to an undetermined route through Bradley
and Polk counties that would open commerce between Chattanooga and eastern seaports; and
WHEREAS, today, over 87 percent of the twenty-six corridors have been built, and of
the six corridors designated in Tennessee, most have been completed or are currently under
construction, except for Corridor K; and
WHEREAS, although physically located only in Bradley and Polk counties, Corridor K
was selected by the Southeast Tennessee Rural Planning Organization as its number one
transportation priority; and
WHEREAS, while portions of Corridor K in North Carolina and Georgia are nearing
completion, the project is stymied here in Tennessee due to budgetary constraints; now,
therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED
SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE SENATE
CONCURRING, that this General Assembly hereby pledges its full support for the development
of the Corridor K highway project and urges the United States Department of Transportation to take all
necessary measures to facilitate the establishment and construction of Corridor K.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that an enrolled copy of this resolution be transmitted to "Secretary of Transportation and the Commissioner of Transportation".