HJR754, a bill supporting the development of Corridor K, passed in the House of Representatives on Mnday with all members voting in the affirmative.

HJR754 will now be sent to the United States Department of Transportation to ask for the development of the Corridor K highway project, Rep. Eric Watson said.

The measure urges the Department of Transportation "to take all necessary measures to facilitate the establishment and construction of Corridor K."

The following Polk County officials joined Rep. Watson on the House floor while the bill was presented - Mayor of Benton Jerry Stevens, Mayor of Ducktown James Talley, Mayor of Polk County Mike Stinnett, County Commissioner John Pippenger, County Commissioner Buster Bramblett and County Commissioner Darren Waters.

Rep. Watson said to the members of the General Assembly, "Early in the morning hours on Nov. 10, 2009, a portion of Little Frog Mountain fell onto US Highway 64 in the county of Polk. Later that morning a second rock slide occurred in the same area, mile marker 17 near TVA Ocoee Dam Number 2. The rockslide completely blocked the major east/west corridor in southeastern Tennessee and on Jan. 19, a third rockslide occurred at mile marker 10 near Maddens Branch and all the rock slides are projected to be cleaned up and the road should be reopened by March 31, 2010.

"The rockslide has placed a great hardship on the people of Polk County, and I have emphasized to TDOT the importance of moving quickly, but without jeopardizing safety, to reopen this roadway.

"The closure of US Highway 64 has caused incredible burdens on families in eastern Polk County as well as Tennessee families who regularly travel to Benton, Cleveland and Chattanooga for work and school.

"I know that TDOT is committed to finishing this project as quickly and safely as possible, and I thank them for this. To date, crews have removed around 7,000 tons of debris from the site. Workers have stabilized the western side of the slope and are now beginning the difficult task of addressing the eastern side where a large, unstable rock about 22 feet thick must be split using small controlled blasts. Crews will also drive large 40 ft. long rock anchors into the rock to secure it in place.

"Once all the rock is stabilized, workers will remove the remaining debris at the foot of the mountain. The contractor will then repair the damaged roadbed, and TDOT crews will repave U.S. 64 and reopen it to traffic by March 31.

"Businesses in the Copper Basin area have lost 40–45 percent in sales revenues and local government is hurting as well due to local sales tax. A round trip drive from home in the Copper basin to work or school below the mountain did take 40 to 45 minutes before the rock slide; now the drive takes 3 to 4 hours and in some cases you have to travel through Georgia and North Carolina to get to your destination. It's also caused a hardship on our law enforcement, fire, rescue, and EMS personnel, and the rockslide has doubled and tripled (in some cases) the response times for theses emergency service workers to get to people in need.

"In once case, Owen Hensley’s brother who lived in the Copper Basin area died from a heart attack in December due to him not having a quick medical transport to a trauma hospital west of Polk County. The night he died, the weather conditions were so bad that EMS couldn’t fly him out by helicopter.

"In a county where 56% of the property is owned by the U.S. National Forest, the citizens of Polk County need help. A U.S. federal highway that the state of Tennessee maintains, through a U.S. National Forest, that rocks from a federal owned mountain came onto a federal road; our federal government still has not, to my knowledge, hasn’t even be seen or offered any federal assistance to the citizens of Polk County or to the local government.

"I'm here today to ask for your support of this HJR and to express support to the federal government and to the United States Department of Transportation for Corridor K. Corridor K would connect Eastern Polk County with the Western half.

"In 1965, The Appalachian Development Highway system was authorized by the United States Congress to combat poverty and low income areas and the system included 26 corridors in thirteen states from New York to Mississippi. 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 today, over 87 percent of the 26 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 while portions of Corridor K in North Carolina and Georgia are nearing completion. I ask again for your support to pledge support for development of Corridor K and to ask the federal government to finish what they created in 1965."