KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Department of Transportation and Transportation Commissioner Butch Eley announced a multimillion-dollar investment between the I-40/75 split in Loudon County and I-640 in Knox County.
"Man, am I happy to be here. As I would say, hot diggity dog this is awesome," Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs said at the announcement. "This is a great example of how all of us working together improves the safety and quality of life for residents of not only Knox County, but the entire state of Tennessee, and the visitors who come here to enjoy our beautiful area."
The project will include changes to the Watt Road and Campbell Station Road interchanges off I-40. The state will make a $600 million investment into the corridor. It will also include a study of the entire corridor of I-40, from the split in Loudon County to I-640 in Knox County. TDOT said it plans to spend around $120 million on the "preliminary engineering" for I-40.
"This is the beginning of moving forward on the improvements in this corridor," Ely said.
A TDOT corridor study from 2020 said the state's busiest portion of I-40 is in Knox County, where I-40 and I-75 run together. Daily traffic counts regularly exceed 200,000 drivers, enough to fill Neyland Stadium almost two times over, the study said.
TDOT also said it is working to bring paid "choice lanes" to I-40, a type of public-private partnership in which drivers pay to use extra lanes on the highway.
TDOT previously had a contract with the town of Farragut in Knox County to re-work the Campbell Station Road interchange off I-40. But when TDOT released its 10-year plan in December, Campbell Station Road was not on the list.
Farragut Mayor Ron Williams issued a statement Thursday to WBIR.
“The Town of Farragut is looking forward to working with TDOT on the I-40/I-75 Corridor Study. The funding for this project is the first step of the much-needed transportation improvements in the East Tennessee area.”
State Sen. Becky Duncan Massey, R-Knoxville, chairs the Senate Transportation Committee. Massey said she continues to worry about the traffic on I-40 in Knox County and advocates for improvements.
"I'm concerned about I-40 from 40/75 from downtown all the way to the split," Massey said in an interview last month. "I would love to see the weigh stations moved outside of Knox County."
TDOT Commissioner Eley, TDOT staff, elected officials from local and state government are expected to be at the announcement.