“Making improvements to an entire corridor like Alcoa Highway is a big and expensive undertaking, but one that is crucial to improve safety and reduce congestion,” says Gov. Bill Haslam. “The IMPROVE Act has literally cut the time it would take to complete these projects in half.”
The legislation, approved earlier this year, increased gas and diesel taxes to help fund transportation projects.
The projects, estimated to cost a combined $75 million, include improvements to a 2.5-mile section of Alcoa Highway in Knox County, and updates to a half-mile portion of the highway Blount County.
“Because we have the necessary funding in place, both of these projects will be under construction in the summer of 2018,” says Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) Commissioner John Schroer. “We are also able to continue the development of the remaining Alcoa Highway projects, and hope to complete the entire corridor nearly a decade sooner than we projected.”
TDOT says the Alcoa Highway, with more than 57,000 vehicles travelling on it daily, is a “primary commute route” between the two counties and offers access to the McGhee-Tyson Airport and businesses in the surrounding area.
