Exit 174 on westbound Interstate 24 is closed again as is the westbound entrance ramp. Cummings Highway is shut as well. I inquired at TDOT on Dec. 28, 2015, why this continues to happen. The engineer’s response was that the drain from ground west of the interstate runs under private land and cover over it has caused that pipe to collapse. Obviously flow still goes through, because it has not become an American institution, a fishing pond.
I go by Chattanooga Fire Hall #3 and district headquarters of Tennessee Highway Patrol to avoid that heavy rainfall event. It makes me wonder how many more folks need to write their town council member, county commissioner, county mayor, town mayor and state representative and senator to get TDOT to resolve an ongoing water feature of Lookout Valley.
This is the last exit one passes on the road west out of Chattanooga and the first one gets to arriving from the west. That stated, I hope this condition of pass-ability is not indicative of the whole of road worthiness in this area. This is not an attempt to get bellyaches of the local world to unite. We’ve got better middle body mass cubic area to work with.
This is a public outreach to get plumbers of our roads to do due diligence and resolve the issue. Today I saw Bill Payne, engineer with the city of Chattanooga. He had just concluded an on scene interview with a reporter. Mr Payne told me TDOT is working on resolution. Glacier melt can be measured. Why can’t the pace at which our state road department works be described in months rather than years?
An aside and far from least of realization. Chattanooga Public Works had two pumps on scene with approximately eight-inch discharge hoses working at a healthy volume. I very much appreciate their work.
From Lookout Valley, Prentice Hicks
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For the fifteen hundredth time in the last few years the main state highway has been closed along with an off and on ramp to a federal interstate. The firehall right down the street response times are longer since their trucks have to find a way around to get to their calls.
This problem has existed for several years and multiple complaints have been filed by citizens who are fed up with excuses from the state and city. I guess TVA has taken over the intersection for a temporary dam to generate some free electricity for the businesses like the Days Inn and the Waffle House that are completely blocked from potential customers. These business owners have lost thousands of dollars while a few thousand of us are inconvenienced every time it rains hard.
Please one of our fine state representatives or state senators step forward and fix this problem before we have a situation where someone dies while our first responders find a route that is not flooded. It is election year so step up and get it done.
Rick Mincy
Lookout Valley Lake Area