The Crossville City Council cleared the way for a potential Interstate Drive extension from Genesis Road to Peavine Road during a special called meeting Thursday.
Council members voted to move forward with a plan to provide road, water, and sewer infrastructure to a property identified as “Lot 8” near Genesis Road and Interstate Drive. City Manager Valerie Hale said the action comes as a final plat for the commercial development district was set to go before the Crossville Regional Planning Commission.
“The plat will leave a lot without roads, water, and sewer, so it’s on the end,” Hale said. “So that is against the planning commission subdivision regulations. So in order to fix that, we have to guarantee that roads, water, and sewer will be supplied to the lot.”
To address the issue, the council approved a conditional commitment to install approximately 1,350 feet of road and water line, along with 1,050 feet of sewer line. City Planner Kevin Dean said the work would be funded through sales tax increment financing for the commercial development district, pending approval by the state.
“We just need the formal commitment from the city council to move forward with providing that infrastructure, which would be contingent upon everything else,” Dean said.
Council members unanimously approved the motion, emphasizing that the commitment is dependent on the financing mechanism and other approvals moving forward.
Later, the Crossville Regional Planning Commission approved the final plat for the development, while also discussing the broader impact of ongoing and future growth in the area.
Planners referenced a recently completed study examining future extensions of Interstate Drive, noting the work ties into phases two and three of the extension. Phases two and three would extend Interstate Drive from North of the CoLinx Facility to Peavine Road.
Dean said the proposed roadway extensions are part of the city’s long-range major thoroughfare plan, which identifies future transportation needs and potential routes based on expected growth.
“This would give an alternate route to not have to get on the interstate to get from one major road to another,” Dean said. “The other thing is when you have a wreck on I-40 and things close, I can tell you from personal experience, we can look out our window and see traffic backed up as far as the eye can see on Main Street. Because they’re hitting all the way down here, they’re coming in on 70, or over Miller, they’re coming up 127, then we only get here. This will offer another alternate route to decongest our downtown.”
The study also included traffic projections showing increased congestion in the coming years and how a future bypass could reduce traffic volumes on Interstate 40 and other major roads.
By 2035, traffic on Interstate 40 is projected to reach nearly 59,800 vehicles per day without a bypass, along with increases on Highway 70, Miller Avenue, and East First Street. With the addition of a bypass, traffic on I-40 could drop to around 52,000 vehicles per day, while Highway 70 and East First Street would also see noticeable decreases. Miller Avenue is expected to remain about the same, while the new bypass itself would carry an estimated 9,300 vehicles daily.
“This is not anything that the City Council is going to be voting to do any time soon,” Dean said. “We’re hoping T-DOT’s going to do portions of this sometime in the future, next 20, 40 years.”
Following the discussion, the Planning Commission approved the final plat, allowing the development to move forward with the understanding that required infrastructure will be installed in accordance with city commitments and regulations.