Elected officials and members of the Community Resource Team got their first look at preliminary corridors for Corridor K last week. The public will have its chance, and the opportunity to comment, at public workshops scheduled for Feb. 16 at Polk County High School and Feb. 17 at Copper Basin High School. Both meetings are scheduled for 5-8 p.m. Comments can also be made through the public involvement link at www.tdot.state.tn.us/corridork.

Eight options were presented to the CRT last week, including no-build, improve US 64, spot improvements, three corridors north of the Ocoee and two south of the river. When CRT members learned that a “hybrid” corridor had also been discussed, they asked that it be included. The hybrid would include improving the existing highway from each end and going to a new location on identified corridor segments between. Several of the options include tunnels but not as extensive as previous plans, consultant David Griffin said.

For each corridor, consultants developed a preliminary list of impacts (none, low, medium, high) to transportation, safety, structures and the environment, as well as such things as potential for new scenic views, potential for effects to existing views, and access to recreational resources. More detailed studies will be done as they move along.

Conceptual costs are estimated for each option for a two-lane roadway (with passing lanes and shoulders) and a four-lane roadway but do not include mitigation costs. Consultants said a two-lane highway would handle projected volume for the next 20 years and noted there is not a big improvement in travel time for that distance.

Asked about major improvements to the existing highway, which has an estimated price tag of $304.6 million for an improved new two-lane highway, Griffin said there is a constructability issue. He said the road would have to be closed for a 4-8 year construction period. He also said there is a potential to impact endangered species and the pyritic rock would be a problem for watersheds. The cost for spot improvements is $198.9 million and would not improve east-west connectivity. ARC funds, which are available for 80% of the cost of a new highway, are not available for spot improvements. Cindy Moss commented that even an improved road is just a rockslide away from being closed again.

Asked about impacts to the Hiwassee River, Griffin said one of the northern options (3) goes above the Little Frog Wilderness and would impact the Hiwassee watershed. He said they are still “dancing around” whether Congressional approval would be needed for options 4 and 5, which skirt the Wilderness area. He said there is a question about how far the TDOT right-of-way reaches.

Consultants working with TDOT on the Transportation Planning Report have been gathering information and meeting with agencies like TWRA and the Cherokee National Forest to analyze possible corridors identified by a computer program that takes key factors into consideration. These 2,000-foot-wide corridors were then analyzed for more specific parameters, with some of the early corridors eliminated or combined. The corridors are wide in order to provide room to shift the final highway as needed. An assessment of wildlife habitat linkages was developed to identify passages for fish and mammals in order to take steps to maintain those passages.

Once the Transportation Planning Report is completed, the project moves to the Environmental Impact Statement phase, where detailed studies are made of potential corridors and possible roadway alignments are selected. TDOT and consultants feel a lot of the work being done now will give a jump-start to that phase. The timeline calls for the Draft EIS to be completed in July 2012, with the final EIS in June 2013 and a decision in November 2013.

Keith Dilbeck asked if the existing roadway would become a toll road if a new corridor is built. Griffin said that has been suggested. Typically, he said, a bypassed road goes to the county. He said it could be a consortium of local, state and federal agencies, noting no recommendation has been made.

Before discussion of the preliminary corridors, team members were given an update on the rockslide. Dilbeck spoke of the serious impact the rockslide is having on the East Polk community and the need for a new highway. He said a new road can be done to enhance the region while protecting the environment. Tom Tohill agreed, saying the east end can’t develop because of the bottleneck caused by the road. Denny Mobbs said the people have to be able to get to jobs and schools.