KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The I-40 corridor is filled with growth but also has its share of problems. The Tennessee Department of Transportation working to fix some of those issues.
Traffic along the corridor is increasing due to the recent Bucee's gas station in the area. One resident who often makes the drive from Nashville to North Carolina said it wasn't until they reached Knoxville that the problems began.
In West Knox County, the exits off of I-40 at Watt Road and Campbell Station are some of the oldest in the county. TDOT estimates that tens of thousands of cars use those interchanges every day. The department also said that traffic could double over the next 20 years.
"It's one thing to have a little bit of a slowdown but you don't want to have consistent stop-and-go traffic," said Sen. Becky Massey (R - Knoxville), the chair of the Senate Transportation Committee.
According to Massey, leaders have proposed several solutions to traffic problems in East Tennessee.
Solution One
The first proposed solution announced by state leaders was to fix the interchanges at Watt Road and Campbell Station.
TDOT said it would invest nearly $120 million in engineering to figure out ways to ease some of the traffic on I-40 in West Knox County. It also said a portion of I-40 from the split where I-40 and I-75 run together is the busiest portion of I-40 in all of Tennessee.
According to TDOT, part of the delays is due to the weight stations, where state leaders make sure trucks' weight doesn't destroy the highway.
"The trucks coming in and out of facilities like this have a direct impact on how this interstate actually works on a daily basis," Willy Reid said.
Solution Two
Another solution that Massey is advocating for is a new technology that allows trucks to be weighed while still in motion, which would remove the need for weigh stations.
A second plan put forward by TDOT is its ten-year plan. This plan would include adding extra lanes on I-40 that would be pay-to-use. Another part of the plan would add a new interchange in Sevier County.
In this plan, crews would start construction on Exit 408 in the year 2030.
"We are not happy about it, but we are happy to have a path forward with a defined timeline," said Katom's founder.
Solution Three
A third plan often discussed is not a part of the ten-year plan but would focus on the Knoxville bypass.
"I've had discussions and talked about a bypass study for probably four or five years with TDOT in about every meeting I've been in," Massey said.
This potential bypass would take traffic around Knoxville instead of putting it on I-40 through the city. However, all of these changes would take time and lead to years of congestion in the process.