Tennessee Department of Transportation
John Schroer, Commissioner

State Route 162 (Pellissippi Parkway Extension)

From SR 33 to SR 73 (US 321) in Blount County.

Public Involvement

DEIS Public Hearing and Comment Period

TDOT held a DEIS Public Hearing on Tuesday, July 20, 2010, at the Heritage High School, 3741 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville TN 37804, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM. 

The purpose of the hearing was to provide the public an opportunity to comment on the findings of the EIS and the proposed project prior to completion of the final environmental document.

The public was invited to ask questions and was given the opportunity to make their opinions known concerning this project.  Court reporters were available at the hearing to receive oral statements to be included in the official project transcript.  In addition, comment sheets were available for those who prefer to make written statements.

View the presentation from the July 20, 2010 Public Hearing. (PDF)

View the July 20, 2010 Public Hearing handout. (PDF)

Click here for a copy of the comment form from the hearing.

Click here for a copy of the Public Hearing Transcript.

Click here (Large PDF File, 46 MB) for a copy of the combined public comments received on the DEIS from the public hearing and comment period, which ended August 30, 2010.

Project Comments
Tennessee Department of Transportation
Suite 700, James K. Polk Building
505 Deaderick Street
Nashville, TN  37243-0332

Copies of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) are available for public inspection at the following locations:

Public Information Meeting
February 19, 2008
A public meeting was held on Tuesday, February 19, 2008, at the Heritage High School, 3741 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, Tennessee, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. The purpose of this meeting was to gather public input on potential project corridors and alternatives.  The meeting was also intended provide the public with an overview of the current status of the project and next steps in the environmental process, and to have local public officials present at the meeting to help address questions related to local issues related to future growth and infrastructure.

View the timeline for this project.

View the presentation from the February 19, 2008 Public Workshop. (PDF)

View the preliminary alternative corridors map presented at February 19, 2008 Public Meeting. (PDF)

View the February 19, 2008 Public Meeting handout. (PDF)

Click here for a copy of the comment form from the meeting if you would like to record your written comments on the project from the February 19th meeting.  Please print the form and mail it to the following address.  To be included in the official record of the meeting, your completed comment form must be postmarked by March 11, 2008.

Project Comments
Tennessee Department of Transportation
Suite 700, James K. Polk Building
505 Deaderick Street
Nashville, Tennessee 37243-0332

Public Comments
A compilation of the comment forms, letters and emails received by TDOT and the court reporter transcripts from the October 25, 2007 Public Alternatives Workshop and comment period through November 15, 2007 is available for public inspection at the locations listed below. Copies of the public comments regarding the project that were received between July 6 and December 31, 2006 are also available at these locations:

Blount County Chamber of Commerce
201 South Washington Street
Maryville, TN 37804

Blounty County Public Library
508 North Cusick Street
Maryville, TN 37804

Public Alternatives Workshop (PDF)
October 25, 2007
Maryville, TN

Click here to view the formal presentation from the October 25, 2007 Public Alternatives Workshop.
 
Click here to view the preliminary alternative corridors map presented at October 25, 2007 Public Alternatives Workshop.

Click here to view the October 25, 2007 Public Alternatives Workshop handout.

Coordination Plan for Agency and Public Involvement
Environmental Streamlining and Stewardship requires transportation agencies to work together with natural, cultural, and historic resource agencies to establish realistic timeframes for the environmental review of transportation projects. These agencies then need to work cooperatively to adhere to those timeframes, while they are protecting and enhancing the environment. The efficient and effective coordination of multiple environmental reviews, analyses, and permitting actions is essential to meeting the Environmental Streamlining and Stewardship mandates for highway and transit projects under SAFETEA-LU (Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU).

SAFETEA-LU includes several provisions intended to enhance the consideration of environmental issues and impacts within the transportation planning process and encourage the use of the products from planning in the NEPA process. Developing an effective public involvement program requires a variety of techniques that can meet the needs of a given transportation plan, program, or project. Current Federal statutes and regulations derived largely from the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) provide general guidelines for locally developed public involvement processes and procedures.

A Coordination Plan for Agency and Public Involvement for the Pellissippi Parkway Extension is listed below:

Coordination Plan for Agency and Public Involvement (PDF)

Notice of Intent
A Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was published in the Federal Register on April 25, 2006.

View Notice of Intent published in Federal Register, April 25, 2006 (PDF)

Public Scoping Meetings
Two public scoping meetings were held on June 13, 2006, in Blount County. The purpose of the meetings was to receive input from the public for defining the purpose and need for the project; determining the range of alternatives to be considered in the EIS; and identifying the environmental, social and economic issues and concerns to be addressed in the EIS.

The two meetings shared the same format and information. TDOT representatives were on hand to answer questions concerning the project. The meetings were held at Eagleton Elementary School and Heritage High School. The official transcripts of the meetings are below.

Pellissippi Scoping Comments for April 25, 2006 through July 5, 2006 (PDF)
Please note: These comments do not represent the entirety of public comments received on this project. Comment Forms submitted between June 13, 2006 and July 5, 2006 are retained as public record at the Tennessee Department of Transportation Community Relations Office, Suite 700, James K. Polk Building, 505 Deaderick Street, Nashville, Tennessee. Hard copies of these documents are also available for viewing at the Blount County Library and the Blount County Chamber of Commerce.

Pellissippi Parkway Extension Public Comment Form (PDF)
Note: Please print as a double-sided document and fill in your comments. Then fold as indicated, tape, apply postage and mail to the address pre-printed on the card. The submitted comment form will become a part of the public record for this project.