States responds to 'mystery' of I-69

The Covington Leader Online
August 26, 2005

Leader staff report

The issue of Interstate 69 has been a hot topic in West Tennessee for many years.

In recent weeks, it has again heated up with the announcement there are funds in the new federal transportation bill dedicated to the portion of the road from Dyersburg to Millington, which includes Tipton County.

Sen. Mark Norris, R-Collierville, has arranged a meeting about the subject on Monday, Sept. 26, at 6:30 p.m. at Brighton High School. Ed Cole, Chief of Environment and Planning for the Tennessee Department of Transportation in Nashville will make a presentation at the meeting.

In response to the recent talk about I-69, Cole has submitted a letter to the editor to The Leader, which was entitled “Ending the mystery.”

Following is that letter in its entirety.

Dear Editor:

Interstate 69 is a new interstate highway corridor under various stages of development stretching from Michigan to Texas. The corridor stretches across west Tennessee in three segments: one from Memphis to Millington, one from Millington to Dyersburg, and one from Dyersburg to Kentucky. Congress recently authorized significant additional funding for this interstate when it passed the six year transportation bill, SAFETEA-LU. Upon passage of this legislation, questions have been raised about the status of planning for this interstate, particularly the segment from Millington to Dyersburg.

Formal planning for the Millington to Dyersburg segment began in February, 2001. This segment is 65 miles in length. A number of different alignment alternatives have been considered in order to design a route that respects the farms, the communities, the natural environment and the economic development of this corridor. A number of public meetings have been held as well as numerous discussions with various agencies of government, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, TVA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

An initial Draft Environmental Impact Statement was submitted to the Federal Highway Administration for review in mid-2002 and a revised version was resubmitted in early 2003. Concerns with the potential impacts of the route on the city of Ripley required additional studies to be completed during 2003 and another round of technical discussions about impacts took place during 2003 and early 2004. Additional information about impacts on wetlands as well as the accommodation of an updated highway noise policy led to a new Draft Environmental Impact Statement being prepared. That draft was completed by TDOT earlier this year and, following discussions with the Federal Highway Administration will be formally submitted for their review within the next two weeks.

Upon approval by the Federal Highway Administration, Corridor Public Meetings will be scheduled, as legally required. These meetings will include full discussion of the alternative alignments of Interstate 69 from Millington to Dyersburg. As can be seen from the time it has taken to prepare these alternatives, citizens will be asked to review a very complex set of alternatives and possible impacts of this interstate. Every effort will be taken to present these alternatives and their impacts as clearly as possible. If needed, additional public meetings will be scheduled to assure all citizens of an understanding of this significant transportation investment.

Sincerely,
Ed Cole
Chief of Environment and Planning
Tennessee Department of Transportation
Nashville