Fentress County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jacob Rosenbaum said T-DOT’s decision to delay portions of the Highway 127 widening project not good news for the county.
T-DOT has delayed the portion north of Clarkrange up to Highway 85, till 2033. Rosenbaum said Highway 127 is the primary economic pipeline for Fentress County as it connects the county ot I-40.
“We hoped that, that project would progress sooner than the timeline right now,” Rosenbaum said. “And of course, that’s not absolutely set in stone. We are still in communication with T-DOT about this project.”
Rosenbaum said though the delay will hinder marketing the northern part of the county for industry, the work currently being done will still be a big boost to the county’s economy.
“The phase of the project that is going on right now is still a big deal for Fentress County,” Rosenbaum said. “Our industrial park is located in Clarkrange, right there next to where these improvements are taking place right now. And so as far as being able to market ourselves to potential industry investment, this section of the highway that is currently being built will allow us to do that tenfold better than we have been able to in years past.”
Rosenbaum said widening Highway 127 has been needed as the county needs the infrastructure to keep up with its rapid growth. Rosenbaum said the county needs to keep pushing for the project to be completed because there is a history.
“This was promised to Fentress County in the 1970s,” Rosenbaum said. “We have been expecting this for a long time, and it’s been consistently promised by several administrations, and they are making good on it. The money has been set aside and appropriated. They are building this project through Northern Cumberland County right now to Clarkrange, and the plans to complete the project are in the ten-year plan currently. We are still closer than we have ever been to getting this project to making this a reality and actually seeing it happen.
Rosenbaum said the county will keep in contact with state legislators to hopefully have them advocate for an earlier completion date. Rosenbuam thanked T-DOT for the work that has been done already on the project.
“We just have to stay on it and keep communication lines open and keep asking, and keep advocating for Fentress County,” Rosenbaum said.
