For Immediate Release

 

I-69 public meetings well attended; public encouraged to continue providing input

HERNANDO, MISS., Tuesday, August 7, 2001—The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT), and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) would like to thank those citizens attending the recent public meetings held in Hernando, Miss., and Millington, Memphis, and Collierville, Tenn., regarding the section of proposed Interstate Highway 69 (I-69) extending from Hernando to Millington.

The meetings were attended by 713 individuals, of whom 596 made comments. The issues the public identified as being important included increased air and noise pollution; impacts to neighborhoods and schools; safety; impacts to wetlands, archaeological sites and cultural resources; increased truck traffic through residential areas; transporting hazardous material; lower property values; drug traffic; economic development; traffic congestion; travel time; and enhanced safety. These comments will be very helpful as the project development process moves forward and in the preparation of the environmental impact statement for this section of I-69.

A second round of public meetings is planned for November 2001 to give the public an additional opportunity to comment on the project. Public attendance and comments are encouraged. At the next round of meetings, the location of proposed alternative alignments being studied will be presented on aerial photography along with the known environmental constraints. Four meetings will be held; the times and places will be advertised in local newspapers.

The proposed I-69 corridor is a 1,650-mile continuous national highway that will start at the Michigan/Canada border and end at the Texas/Mexico border. FHWA has divided the I-69 corridor into 32 sections called "Sections of Independent Utility (SIU)". The SIU process was developed so that each state’s transportation agency will have the responsibility of studying and evaluating the portion of the I-69 corridor that is in its state.

Within Mississippi there are four SIUs – numbered 9, 10, 11, and 12. SIU number 9, which projects a route from north of Memphis to a location near Hernando, is the focus of this news release.

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