by Susan H. Shelton
posted February 16, 2010
The Bradley County Commission passed a resolution supporting the final design and funding of the completion of Corridor K through the Ocoee River Gorge in one of their monthly voting sessions on Tuesday.
The resolution urges the U.S. and Tennessee Departments of Transportation, the United States Congress and the Tennessee General Assembly to immediately develop the plans and appropriate the funds necessary for the completion of Corridor K.
Public meetings on Corridor K will be held Tuesday and Wednesday from 5-8 p.m. Tuesday’s meeting will be at Polk County High School and Wednesday at Copper Basin High School.
Conceived some 44 years ago by the Appalachian Regional Commission, Corridor K was originally designed to connect Asheville and Chattanooga and help relieve poverty and isolation in the region. The discussion has been highlighted as a result of the current rockslide that essentially cut off transportation on Highway 64 between Cleveland/Benton and McCaysville, Ducktown and Copper Basin in November 2009. The road is scheduled to reopen in March.
The US 64/Corridor K project is part of the Appalachian Development
Highway System (ADHS) and was included in the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965. TDOT began studying areas of US 64 in Polk County in the 1970s. TDOT is currently preparing a project specific Transportation Planning Report (TPR) as part of its corridor-level planning process. The TPR is a report designed to streamline project development by including more of the information that is typically needed in the environmental document. Based on the conclusions from the Transportation Planning Report study, an Environmental Impact Statement would be initiated this year.
Corridor K continues to be opposed by various groups for various reasons. Some say that interstate highways constructed since the idea of Corridor K eliminate the need for the costly project. One such entity is WaysSouth, whose tagline is “Responsible Transportation in Appalachia.” Supported by many other groups and businesses, WaysSouth wants to protect the southern Appalachians and seeks alternatives to destructive and costly highway projects among other concerns. The Sierra Club opposes the project because a portion of their mission is to preserve America’s wild places.
According to the Appalachian Development Highway System’s 2007 Cost-to-Complete Report, Corridor K extends 43.8 miles from I-75 to the North Carolina state line. The estimated cost to complete Corridor K (in 2007) was $527.9 million.
Grant Pirkle was appointed to the 911 Board for a term beginning March 1, 2010 to July 2014.
Joe Davis was reappointed to serve a two-year term on the Conasauga River Alliance.
Lake Mantooth was appointed to serve a three-year term on the Housing Board of Adjustment and Appeals.
Architect Doug Caywood was appointed to a three-year term and contractor Chris Spors was reappointed to a three-year term on the Construction Board of Adjustment and Appeals. Alternates appointed to a one-year term on the Construction Board of Adjustment and Appeals were Engineer Ryan Arp and Draftsman Jeff Bird.
Resolution 2013 was passed supporting the right of sole proprietors, partners and up to three members of an LLC in the construction industry to make an elective exemption of themselves from PC-1041 of the 106th General Assembly with regard to the requirement to carry workers compensation insurance on themselves.
The commission also passed resolutions opposing unfunded local government mandates by the state of Tennessee and to dissolve the Grievance Committee which was utilized before there was an official Human Resources Department.
The commission’s next meeting will be next Monday at 7 p.m. in the Bradley County Courthouse.
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