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Hamilton County toll bridge still possible

By: Matt Wilson
(Contact)

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Gerald Nicely

A proposed toll bridge project connecting Soddy-Daisy and Harrison across the Tennessee River is one of several toll projects still under consideration, Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner Gerald Nicely said Friday.

“We’ve had a number of bridges proposed, one of which is here in the Chattanooga area over the Tennessee River,” Mr. Nicely told the Southeast Tennessee Political Action Committee.

Mr. Nicely said a possible toll bridge over the Mississippi River in Shelby County is another possibility.

The Tennessee Tollway Act, which the General Assembly passed last year, allows TDOT to bring one bridge project and one road project that would use tolling as their main funding source to the General Assembly for approval. For the project to move forward, it must have strong public approval, Mr. Nicely said.

Hamilton County Commissioner Bill Hullander said he believes county residents want the bridge to come.

“We do have the support, we feel, here,” he said.

Tolling is one option officials are considering to cover what is likely to be a $5 billion road funding gap over the next several years, Mr. Nicely said. Other options include indexing the gasoline tax to the rate of inflation and public-private partnerships, he said.

For the first time, Tennessee could see a drop in revenue from gas tax this year, Mr. Nicely said. He said TDOT is not starting any new projects because of a lack of funding.

In regard to increased traffic due to the coming Volkswagen plant, Mr. Nicely said a new SmartWay system should be up and running in Chattanooga in two years. SmartWay uses cameras to alert emergency services personnel to accidents so they can respond to them quickly.

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