The $1.5 trillion spending bill approved by Congress includes another $85.5 million toward a new Federal Courthouse in Chattanooga.
The $85.5 million would be short of the $94.6 million government officials recently said was necessary to complete the project.
However, the office of Rep. Chuck Fleischmann said the General Services Administration "has submitted a draft resolution to begin design and construction of the courthouse to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. We expect a markup to occur sometime in later March or in April so work can begin on the courthouse."
Congress in 2021 approved an initial $94.5 million for the Chattanooga Federal Courthouse.
The General Services Administration in January launched a search for a site for the new Chattanooga Federal Courthouse.
The Fleischmann office said, "There is still not a set location for the new courthouse. Mayor Tim Kelly and other local officials are in the process of choosing a specific site."
A new Federal Courthouse that is about to open in Nashville cost $194 million. It will consist of approximately 275,000 square feet with eight courtrooms, 11 judges’ chambers on six tenant floors and a basement level with structured parking. The new facility will provide workspace for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Probation, the U.S. Attorney’s office, GSA and U.S. Senate offices.
The Chattanooga courthouse will be smaller at 186,000 square feet.
The General Services Administration said it was looking for a site between two to five acres.
Federal officials say the current courthouse on Georgia Avenue across from Miller Park no longer meets the judiciary’s requirements, "but the process will take time and is subject to congressional authorization and availability of funds."
The GSA also said it would be determining the best use and reuse opportunities for the current courthouse. Known as the Joel Solomon Building, it was the final creation of famed Chattanooga architect R.H. Hunt when it was built in the 1930s.