Displaying items by tag: will they extend pellissippi parkway?

Semantics aside, Blount County Commission calls for TDOT to hold another public hearing on controversial, $60-million roadway proposal

State highway officials will hold an in-person public meeting on the proposed Pellissippi Parkway extension at the behest of the Blount County Commission after the Tennessee Department of Transportation was criticized for the quality of the original, online-only meeting soliciting public input on the design of the controversial $60-million, 4.5-mile highway project.

The Blount County Commission voted 16-2 in June to “encourage” TDOT “to hold a publicly advertised, in-person hearing at a venue that accommodates a large crowd for public input regarding the extension of Pellissippi Parkway …”.

Here’s some background on the Pellissippi extension project previously reported by Hellbender Press.

The commission resolution states that “Blount County landowners directly impacted by this extension feel they were alienated in the process.”

Transportation officials, however, told Hellbender Press that right of way acquisition would commence this year. It’s not clear to what extent public comment would impact that plan. A TDOT spokesman said previous comments had not yet been distilled to negative and positive input on the design process.