Written by: Hayden Kobza
Due to current safety and capacity issues caused by the growth of the City of Collegedale and the communities of Ooltewah and Apison, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is building a multimillion-dollar road expansion from I-75 to East Brainerd Road, according to the TDOT website. The expansion will cover approximately 6.2 miles, with the current section under construction set to be finished next year.
According to the TDOT website, the project is divided into four sections: I-75 to Old Lee Highway, Old Lee Highway to Ooltewah-Ringgold Road, Ooltewah-Ringgold Road to Layton Lane and Layton Lane to East Brainerd Road.
Two sections from I-75 to Ooltewah-Ringgold Road were completed in 2012 and 2017, costing $7.9 million and $24.2 million, respectively. The section from Ooltewah-Ringgold Road to Layton Lane is currently under construction, with an estimated cost of $97.5 million and a completion date of June 2025. The section from Layton Lane to East Brainerd Road is under development, with preliminary engineering close to completion.
Future Expansion
Rae Anne Bradley, the regional communications officer for TDOT, stated in an email to the Accent that the East Brainerd Road plans are ready to acquire Right-of-Way (ROW) when funding for all remaining phases is available.
She wrote, “This portion of the project was included in the prioritization of projects during the development of the 10-year plan but was not ranked high enough to allocate funding.”
According to Bradley, the East Brainerd Road expansion will cost an estimated $22 million; however, an estimated completion date for the improvement of East Brainerd Road cannot be given until construction begins.
The Ooltewah-Ringgold Road to Layton Lane project is being funded by a mix of state and federal funds, which have financed the section from Ooltewah-Ringgold Road to Layton Lane, according to the TDOT website.
The Accent contacted Eric Sines, the director of Public Works for the City of Collegedale, to ask if any local funding will be used to finance construction and if taxes could increase for the city. Sines said in a phone interview that the city was only paying for the relocation of some sewer infrastructure and that taxes would not be raised.
Current Expansion
According to a video by TDOT, features of the Ooltewah-Ringgold Road to Layton Lane construction include two lanes in opposite directions, with a dedicated turn lane, sidewalks and bike lanes in each direction. The video also mentions that construction added a new roundabout at Tallant Road and a new bridge being constructed over the Norfolk Southern railroad to “separate the tracks from the state route.” Current construction includes five bridges and nine walls. All the bridges are completed except the one on Spalding Drive, where the greenway goes underneath.
When asked if the expanded section from Ooltewah-Ringgold Road to Layton Lane will be able to keep up with the continual growth of the City of Collegedale and the communities of Apison and Ooltewah, Bradley mentioned that TDOT projects are usually designed with a 20-year timeframe in mind from the opening year.
She stated, “The Layton Lane segment, for instance, was designed for [the] 2045 forecasted traffic. Our traffic forecasts do include future growth and factors.”
When asked about the completed sections and if they have been successful, Bradley wrote, “We believe the completed segments of Apison Pike have been very successful, especially in contrast to the sections that have not yet been widened. The newly widened sections of SR 317 are still relatively new, within the 20-year traffic forecasting horizon, to where drivers are still enjoying improved travel conditions and reduced delay and congestion.”
Bridge Delays
While there have been some successes in the completed sections and the one currently under construction, Ooltewah-Ringgold Road to Layton Lane has faced some delays, including the bridge over the Norfolk Southern railroad.
The bridge’s delay is partially due to a train derailment that happened near the bridge on Dec. 20, 2022. An Accent article published on Dec. 20, 2023, about the one-year anniversary of the Collegedale train derailment stated that a concrete I-beam was going over the Norfolk Southern railroad and headed for the bridge’s construction site. However, the driver, stuck behind traffic stopped at a light on Apison Pike, did not cross over the track entirely, and a train hit the I-beam.
Sines said in an interview with the Accent that work on the bridge was delayed after the train derailment, due to the I-beam getting destroyed. However, he added that completion of the bridge was also being delayed by permit changes by Norfolk Southern, which owns the ROW.
When the Accent contacted Sines about this story, he stated that problems due to permit changes were still delaying work on the bridge, and he suggested the Accent contact the Wright Brothers Construction Company for clarity on the specific issues it was having with Norfolk Southern. However, the company did not respond to the Accent’s emails or phone calls.
Total Project On Schedule
TDOT’s total expansion of Ooltewah Ringgold Road to Layton Lane is on track for its estimated completion date of 2025. Friday, April 12, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Boggess)
Last year, however, Sines did mention that the crew working current construction completed so much work on other aspects of the project, apart from the bridge, that the Ooltewah-Ringgold Road to Layton Lane section will still be completed on time.
Referencing the bridge, Bradley stated that delays in construction projects of this size are normal. She confirmed Sines’ statement: “The total Ooltewah-Ringgold Road to Layton Lane project, including bridge construction, is still expected to be finished by the end of June 2025.”
Ecological Concerns
Some may have concerns about the damaging ecological impact that construction could have on Wolftever Creek, which runs under the incomplete bridge.
Bradley stated that as a part of the National Environmental Policy Act process for this project, TDOT conducted ecological studies and species coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
“The roadway alignment was chosen to avoid and minimize water resource impacts to the extent that was feasible while still accomplishing the purpose and need for the project,” she wrote.
According to Bradley, TDOT obtained water quality permits for project-related impacts from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC). TDOT prepared a Stormwater Prevention Pollution Plan and obtained coverage from TDEC under the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System for stormwater discharges associated with the project, she added.
Bradley wrote, “TDOT has a rigorous erosion prevention and sediment control inspection program to monitor permitting compliance.”
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