Corridor K-Hwy 64

Contact:
Robin Allen
Public Affairs Director
SORBA—Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association
770.509.8916
publicaffairs@sorba.org
www.sorba.org

Southern Off-Road Bicycling Association Favors No Build Alternative for Corridor K Highway in Polk County, Tennessee

Chattanooga, TN — The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is currently accepting input regarding their proposed plan to build the Corridor K/Oconee Bypass section of the Appalachian Development Highway System. Because the proposed highway will eliminate approximately 8 miles of trails used for mountain biking and other recreational activities along the proposed highway route and will negatively impact the environment and the recreational quality of the area, SORBA is opposed to the building of the highway, and asks for help in promoting the No Build Alternative for Corridor K and asks for concerned citizens to let their voices be heard through a letter writing campaign. Letters should be written to the Tennessee Department of Transportation, as well as your Congressmen.

The Corridor K/Oconee Bypass, as proposed, would be a four-lane divided running from the lower Ocoee crossing, just east of U.S. 411, to Ducktown, TN, a distance of nearly 21 highway miles. Although two build alternatives are proposed, the alternatives do not vary significantly in their impact on the area. Both alternatives would stretch for approximately 21 miles, include at least 30 waterway crossings, 4 four-lane tunnels, 8 or more connector roads to old US 64, and cross the Ocoee River 3 times. The projected cost for this project is a staggering $1.5 billion dollars. 20% of that cost would be shouldered by the citizens of the State of Tennessee, with the remainder of the funds coming from American taxpayers via Federal funds. Construction is estimated to last 8 years, so the total cost could be well over the current estimate.

Numerous recreational trails in the area will be eliminated or adversely affected. The affected trails include the lower reaches of the Chilhowee trail system, the Tanasi trails, the Chestnut Mountain Loop, Bear Paw Loop, and the new Brush Creek Trail. The highway would cross the Ocoee River just upstream from the Whitewater Center, affecting recreational use of that facility as well.

Copies of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement are available for public inspection on TDOT’s web site at www.tdot.state.tn.us/projects.htm.

Letters for the TDOT can be sent to: Tennessee Department of Transportation, Project Comments, 505 Deaderick Street ,Suite 300, James K. Polk Building, Nashville, TN 37243-0332. SORBA also urges you to write your Congressmen, as Federal tax dollars are involved as well. If you don’t know who your Congressmen are, go to http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ to find out. Speak out and let our public officials know that these recreational areas are valuable to you.

SORBA, celebrating 15 years of service, is a volunteer, nonprofit organization formed to promote trail preservation and development, mountain bike racing, touring, fun, and fellowship for all mountain bicyclists in the southeast. SORBA has over 1500 members and operates chapters throughout Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

For more information contact:

Tom Sauret
Executive Director
SORBA—Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association
director@sorba.org

New deadline for comments on the DEIS (Draft Environmental Impact Statement) is February 15th!

Here is some good advice from Rick Gehrke of the TN Sierra Club.

Sending in comments on the DEIS will not be enough. Most people I've encountered around here were completely unaware of that freeway project until I told them about it, and so far, all were opposed once they started learning about it (for environmental and economic reasons). That includes the whitewater users, who TDOT seems to indicate would benefit from the bypass. We need to get the word out to as many people as possible, encourage people to send in written comments to TDOT, ask for more public hearings (e.g. Chattanooga, Cleveland, Knoxville, Asheville, etc.), and write letters to elected officials.

There seems to be a prevailing belief, or the expression of one, that 1) this road is like an unstoppable force of nature because of the related legalities and 2) everyone wants it. Both of these things are inconsistent with everything I've learned since I started researching Corridor K. I think our best chance of making a difference is to mobilize the voting public and get them to contact their representatives and convince them that this project is unpopular. I think what we should work on now is 1) getting our group members to send comments to TDOT based directly on the DEIS, 2) send individual letters to elected officials, using specific facts from the DEIS and any economic impact studies that have been done, 3) request TDOT to schedule more public hearings and copy elected officials on the requests, and 4) get the word out to more people.

Rick

The comments mailing address is:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Southern Off-Road Bicycling Association Favors No Build Alternative for Corridor K Highway in Polk County, Tennessee

For more information contact:

New deadline for comments on the DEIS (Draft Environmental Impact Statement) is February 15th!

Here is some good advice from Rick Gehrke of the TN Sierra Club.