Volkswagen Plant Leads To "Fast Track" Road To Collegedale

While Chattanooga and Hamilton County leaders work to connect I-75 directly to Enterprise South for the new Volkswagen plant, Tennessee plans a project on the other side of the interchange, toward Collegedale.

So, just how fast can the state of Tennessee build a new road?  The answer will come from a project linking the Enterprise South interchange on I-75 to the Collegedale area.  TDOT Spokesperson Jennifer Flynn says "that project will be our first design build project in the state, that's where each phase is done simultaneously."

TDOT normally operates a pay as you go road program... funding right of way, design, and construction work over the course of several budget years.  Using the "fast-track" approach, one contractor will be hired to do all the work, all at once, linking State Route 317 to I-75, Exit 9.

Darrell Potter has lived on Apison Pike for nearly 30-years.  "I've seen a lot of people , soil testers, and they said they had to test the ground before putting asphalt on it."  Potter says with a new Volkswagen plant going in nearby, he welcomes the new road, hoping it will improve traffic.  "Whenever McKee is doing their shift change and everybody is trying to get home, during the evenings the traffic is just real bad," says Potter.

TDOT officials say aiding McKee's Little Debbie trucks and growth around Collegedale factored into the decision to "fast-track" this project, not just VW.

Flynn says the less than a mile project should displace few, if any, existing businesses and homes.  "Part of it will be totally new alignment where a roadway does not exist right now and part will tie into State Route 317, Apison Pike."

Construction should begin by the middle of next year.