Timelines for Interstate 69 outlined

By Greg Little, Managing Editor, The Covington Leader Online


Editor’s note: The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is hosting a series of public hearings in West Tennessee to discuss the future of the much anticipated section of Interstate 69 from Dyersburg to Millington.

In an effort to share information with the public about the impact the proposed corridors for I-69 may have, TDOT is urging local officials and residents to attend at least one of the public hearings scheduled in November.

These hearings will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the locations listed below. They will include a formal presentation and a brief question and answer period.

The public is invited to ask questions and make comments during the hearings and will be given the opportunity to make their opinions known concerning the need for the project. TDOT representatives will be present to provide information regarding the tentative schedules for right-of-way acquisition and construction of I-69, Segment 8.

Here is the schedule:
Nov. 7 – Dyersburg, Forcum Lannon Center
Nov. 8 – Millington, (TBA)
Nov. 14 – Brighton, Brighton High School
Nov. 15 - Ripley, (TBA)

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There was a lot of finger pointing going on last Monday night at Brighton High School.

Fortunately for organizers of the Interstate 69 meeting, the fingers were pointing at maps on the wall of the school cafeteria indicating the possible routes of the road through Tipton County.

“This was a good meeting,” said Sen. Mark Norris, R-Collierville, who organized the informational meeting which was attended by around 300 residents.

Norris arranged the meeting more than a month ago when the President signed the highway bill, authorizing funds for I-69 in Tennessee. Norris said the process of setting a route for the road has been delayed for quite some time and he felt an informational meeting led by Tennessee Department of Transportation officials would be a good starting point.

Then last Wednesday, TDOT announced the dates for four public hearings in West Tennessee. Those hearings are the meat and potatoes of setting the route for the highway.

Still, Norris, chairman of the state Senate Transportation Commitee, said he felt it important to have Monday’s meeting in an effort to inform area residents about what to expect at the public hearings as well as educate them on the process for those hearings.

“You are well represented by a hard-working senator,” said Ed Cole, chief of environmental and planning for TDOT. “He’s done his homework.”

Cole made a short presentation to the audience about the I-69 process, noting building a new road is “rare” in this day and age. He pointed out 2005 is the 50th anniversary of the formation of America’s interstate system.

“We have a rare opportunity in our state to build a new interstate,” said Cole. “This is very special work ... it is no small undertaking.”

Cole said he believes the “impact” of I-69 in West Tennessee will mirror that of I-40, which runs east and west in the state.

The focus of the meeting was Segment 8 of the road, which is the section from Dyersburg to Millington. The route from the Kentucky border to Dyersburg has already been established and partly completed. Congress has authorized funds to complete that portion of the road.

The route from Millington to Memphis has already been established and some funds have been authorized for that section.

But the route from Dyersburg to Millington has been in limbo for more than two years. Cole said there are many reasons the process has taken so long.

One is there were some environmental concerns in the Ripley area and more work had to be done on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS).

“There has been an extensive environmental review,” said Cole.

He said once that document was finalized, it was submitted to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for approval. That document is available for public review at various locations. (See related story for specifics.)

Since the DEIS has been finalized, Cole said the next process is to conduct the public hearings. (See list of meeting places and times.)

“This is for the formal comments,” said Cole. “We will have court reporters at the meetings.”

Once those hearings are completed, Cole said TDOT officials will take two to three months to review all of the comments and make any necessary adjustments before the final document is completed.

When that is complete, TDOT officials, specifically Commissioner Gerald Nicely, will have to establish the final route. Cole predicted that would be “sometime in January or February” of next year.

“At that point, we get serious about the final design, right-of-way and construction,” said Cole.

He said it would probably be “a year from now” when the final Environmental Impact Statement is made part of the Federal Register.

“That’s the time to start talking to landowners,” said Cole.

He said that is also the time the “critical” job of working with utility companies takes place. When building a new road, Cole said “all utilities” along the route are impacted and each has to be dealt with separately.

The meeting was then open for the public to ask questions — and many were asked of TDOT officials. (See related story about those questions and the answers provided.)