CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – State legislators joined members of the Clarksville Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors on Monday to discuss growth in the community.
State Sen. Bill Powers and state Reps. Curtis Johnson and Jeff Burkhart were on hand, along with Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts, for the presentation of the Chamber’s Legislative Agenda – a wish list for what the body wants to see done by the Tennessee General Assembly this year.
Transportation was the main topic at the meeting, with the Chamber encouraging state lawmakers to continue with the Transportation Improvement Program and make it a priority for the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) to eliminate the backlog of projects and oppose efforts to repeal it.
The top project in the legislative agenda for both the city and county is the widening of Interstate 24 from four lanes to six lanes from the Kentucky line to one mile past Exit 11. The second part of that project is to then widen I-24 from Exit 11 to Old Hickory Boulevard in Nashville.
Chamber President Mark Kelly told local legislators that the Chamber shares in the I-24 project. “As a community, we certainly want to support things that are important to the community as both the city and county see them. We are supportive of that expansion, of that design,” Kelly said.
Johnson said the I-24 expansion from the state line to just past Exit 11 and from Davidson County to Old Hickory has received funding. Johnson said that leaves 28 miles from the Davidson County line to near Exit 11 still under consideration.
Johnson added the I-24 area being discussed is in TDOT’s Region 3, and the project is No. 1 on the region’s priority list. When asked about a timeline on the I-24 work, Powers said we should know something before the end of the year.
Second on the Chamber’s Legislative Transportation Agenda is the widening of Trenton Road from near the 101st Parkway to near I-24, with third being the widening of Warfield Boulevard and Richview Road from three lanes to five lanes starting south of Dunbar Cave Road to Madison Street.
Kelly said Chamber of Commerce businesses see those two roads as being most beneficial as people move throughout the city. “Those two projects would allow businesses and members of our community to get across the city in a more efficient and effective manner,” Kelly said.
For more about the Chamber, visit the Clarksville Area Chamber of Commerce website or call 931-647-2331.
PREVIOUSLY: Highway projects, medical marijuana, dog tethering rules presented in Legislative Agenda wish list