Ford focuses on road issues
By BEN INGRAM Press Staff Writer bingram@johnsoncitypress.com
Since wrapping up his first legislative session in Nashville, state Rep. Dale Ford’s mind has been on his campaign promise — making over some of the county’s busiest roads. Ford, R-Jonesborough, said Friday he’s ready to get busy on some of those road issues and the first step is getting his constituents’ input. In keeping with that promise, he’s scheduled a community meeting for Thursday at David Thompson’s Produce Market along Tenn. Highway 107, across from Fender’s Farm Corn Maze. “Basically, I want to get their input on the road and talk about traffic issues on (Tenn.) 107 and (Tenn. Highway) 81,” said Ford, who represents the 6th House District. “This is for people that live in the Lamar and Embreeville communities as well as anyone concerned about traffic along those two roadways.” Ford said Fred Corn and Harold Martin with the Tennessee Department of Transportation would be on hand to give their opinions and answer questions. “Right now, if a tanker truck were to turn over in a certain section of the road, there’s only one place it’s going to go and that’s right into the Nolichucky River,” Ford said. “Personally, I’d like to see these roads widened so that we can cut down on some of this truck traffic. “A lot of these trucks travel north on (Interstate) 81 to (Interstate) 26 in order to get to Asheville (N.C.), which is the way they’re supposed to go. But there’s also a number of these trucks that cut through Greeneville and travel along the Nolichucky.” Still, Ford said a super twolane or a five-lane highway would simply make trucks go faster. “I’m hoping that we can come up with some other ideas at this meeting that would be more beneficial to the community,” he said. “Hopefully, we’ll get something we can take to the state.” Ford, who spent 27 years as a Major League Baseball umpire before being elected in November, reeled off a number of road projects during his campaign he would be focusing on throughout his first term. “We have two interchanges (on Interstate 26) — Boones Creek and Gray, in need of a facelift,” Ford said earlier this year. “Boones Creek because of development and Gray because of traffic. I feel we need to reconstruct both interchanges like the one at (North) State of Franklin (Road).” Ford also noted needed changes from the intersection of Tenn. Highway 36 and the Bobby Hicks Highway (Tenn. Highway 75) in Gray to Tri-Cities Regional Airport, Blountville. “There’s a dinky little twolane road going from Gray out to the airport and when there’s an accident traffic’s backed up till the police can move it out of the roadway,” he said at the time. “And it’s starting to impact economic development because when you can’t get products from the airport, or shipped out there because of a two-lane, there’s problems ... We need to put a four-lane out to the airport.” Ford said he’d also look to push legislation making construction of a bypass from Tenn. 75 in Gray to U.S. Highway 11E in Telford a reality. “It would be great for (Tenn. 75) to come out just west of the businesses like Bush Hog and the new school on (U.S.) 11E and eventually have it run four lanes out to the airport,” he said.
