KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — In early 2023, Farragut Mayor Ron Williams touted a deal between his town and the Tennessee Department of Transportation to build a diverging diamond interchange at the heavily trafficked I-40, Campbell Station interchange. When TDOT released its ten-year plan in December, the plan wasn't on it.
"It's not in the ten-year-plan," Williams said. "That's a little bit more than setting that aside. That's just dropping it."
Williams said he had a contract with TDOT and paid $500,000 as a deposit. He said Farragut planned to contribute a total of $10.5 million.
Senator Becky Duncan Massey (R-Knoxville) chairs the Senate Transportation Committee and said she is working with TDOT and the mayor of Farragut to see if they can find a solution.
"When they first put that on a list, they they didn't really probably estimate the cost accurately. Then with the inflation that is entered into the thing, it was going to cost a lot more than was really planned on," Massey said.
Even though the project isn't on the ten-year plan, Massey said she doesn't think the project will be put off for ten years.
"We've got people working creatively to see if we can cobble something together to get it done much quicker," Massey said. "All I can do is continue to advocate."
Rep. Jason Zachary (R-Knox County) said he confirmed Farragut will get the $500,000 back if the new interchange isn't built.
"The traffic has just been a consistent nightmare and has done nothing but get worse," Zachary said. "Frustrated would be putting it mildly."
Watt Road, another exit serving Farragut, is on TDOT's ten-year-plan. Farragut Mayor Ron Williams said he doesn't think Watt Road needs to be reworked as urgently as Campbell Station Road.
WBIR analysis of traffic studies done by TDOT shows about 9,000 more drivers will get on or off Campbell Station Road than Watt Road in 2025.
The Campbell Station interchange was originally built in the 1960s. Since then, Farragut has developed with apartment complexes, parks, a Costco and a shopping center in Turkey Creek.