Bypass 8-to-10 Years Away
HUNTSVILLE - Tennessee Commissioner of Transportation Gerald Nicely told a local audience Monday evening that while an Advanced Planning Report has been completed, a proposed Oneida bypass remains "eight to 10 years away."
Nicely, guest speaker for the monthly dinner meeting of the Advisory Board of First National Bank of Oneida, conducted a 30-minute Powerpoint presentation, followed by a question and answer session at the bank's Central Office.
Also attending the meeting and recognized by First National Bank's Board Chairman W.H. Swain were State Representative Les Winningham, Nicely's Legislative Assistant Missy H. Brown, Huntsville Mayor George Potter, Oneida Mayor Jack E. Lay and Marvin Miller, Scott County maintenance supervisor for the Department of Transportation, in addition to several members of the bank's Advisory Board.
Nicely, who has been on the job since January, said the proposed U.S. 27 bypass project was actually launched when then State Senator (now Congressman) Lincoln Davis asked the department to look into a way to reduce the traffic congestion on U.S. 27 in Oneida.
Since that time, Nicely said two alternative plans for a bypass have been formulated in an Advanced Planning Report, which is what it takes to get a highway project "in the system."
The next phase, he added, would be to design it, followed by acquiring right-of-way and the actual construction, which represents "an eight-to-ten year process . . . often slowed by environmental issues," he said.
Commissioner Nicely said that early on in the project a public hearing would be held to help decide between the two plans under consideration. The public's input and the project's cost would be key factors used to determine which route would be chosen," he pointed out.
In response to a question posed by First National Bank's Arnold Stephens, Nicely said that the way to speed up the process is "to let us know your priorities, make sure you can get a consensus, and work with your elected officials."
On more than one occasion, Nicely pointed out that the proposed bypass has yet to be funded for engineering or design.
Commissioner Nicely also updated his audience on several other ongoing and/or proposed highway projects in and around Scott County, including:
* The widening of Hwy 63 in Campbell County, which has been funded for right-of-way acquisition, but construction funds have not yet been budgeted;
* The widening of Hwy 63 from Huntsville to the Campbell County line, which has not yet been funded for engineering;
* Hwy 52 in Elgin, where two phases of right-of-way acquisition are underway and will take approximately 18 months to complete; not yet funded for construction;
* Hwy 27 in Robbins, for which preliminary environmental and engineering studies have been completed; corridor and design expected by mid-2004; and,
* Industrial access roads. DOT is following up on requests submitted by County Commission for improvements to Airport Road, and from the Oneida Board of Mayor and Aldermen for further improvements to the Bear Creek Industrial Park Road.
After giving a brief history of the Department of Transportation, Commissioner Nicely said his reorganization resulted in 50 positions being eliminated, mostly through the consolidation of offices dealing with public affairs and environmental issues.
As commissioner, Nicely said his goals will be in the areas of improving communication,
accountability, consistency and integrity.
DOT currently has 4,500 employees in four districts, the largest of which is in East Tennessee. The department operates on an annual budget of around $1.4 billion, $700,000 of which comes from federal sources, a like amount from the state, and $358 million from local sources. Gov. Bredesen's mandated 9 percent budget cut hit the department hard: $65 million, Nicely said, but "dedicated sources of revenue" remain the strength of DOT.
"Whatever problems we may have, Tennessee has the best highway system in the Southeast and, in some respects, one of the best in the country," Commissioner Nicely said.
DOT is responsible for the maintenance of 8,000 bridges, inspection of all county bridges, 1,073 miles of interstate highways and 13,000 miles of state roads, Nicely said.
He also mentioned the "Smart Way" intelligenc information system recently launched in Nashville, and soon to be begun in Knoxville, whereby scores of "real time" video cameras are installed at potential trouble spots to enable motorists to monitor traffic conditions before they plan the route.
Monday evening's presentation by Commissioner Nicely was one of a series of outreach meetings he is conducting across the state.
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