Tennessee Department of Transportation
Gerald Nicely, Commissioner

The purpose of this study is to analyze existing and projected conditions to determine the need for improving State Route 22 to allow adequate access to Cates Landing Slack Water Port and improve existing geometric deficiencies. Cates Landing is the proposed site of a slack water port on the Mississippi River. The slack water port will be adjacent to an industrial park that will house industries that benefit by close proximity to a port. The Port will be provided rail service by TENNKENN Railroad with easy connections to the main line of Canadian National/Illinois Central Railroad.

Cates Landing Slack Water Port is ideally situated as a major manufacturing and distribution hub for Mid-America. The industries within the park will generate employment for Lake, Dyer, and Obion Counties. The proposed widening for this section of State Route 22 was initiated by a request from local officials. The objective of this report is to develop recommendations for improvement and estimate the cost of project implementation.

Purpose and Need

The primary purpose and need of this project is to provide an adequate highway connection to the Port of Cates Landing Intermodal Regional Industrial Park for improved regional and local mobility. Cates Landing Slack Water Port and the Port of Cates Landing Intermodal Regional Industrial Park has the potential to greatly increase the employee and commercial traffic on State Route 22. Trucks will account for approximately 9 percent of the traffic on State Route 22 in the project area.

The economic impact of the Port Project has been analyzed by the local Port Authority as well as by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. All agree the Port will have substantial economic impact on Northwest Tennessee, Lake County, and the City of Tiptonville.

Due to the anticipated economic impact of the Port Project, the primary need on State Route 22 in Lake County will be for improved local and regional mobility in the future. Several specific needs are encompassed in this broad goal:

1. Existing transportation resources, including the Interstate 55 Mississippi River Bridge at Dyersburg, the North-South State Route 3 (U.S. Highway 51) corridor from Fulton, Kentucky to Memphis and the Mid-Continent location of the Canadian National Railroad at Dyersburg, all contribute to Cates Landing viability as a major transportation hub. With the construction of Interstate 69 along the U.S. Highway 51 corridor, the port will be accessible for interstate intermodal operation in all directions. Lake County has entered into an agreement with the Northwest Port Authority to construct additional rail lines that will provide direct access to the industrial park and port from the existing TENNKENN railroad (see appendix for a site layout map provided by Forcum Lannom).



2. Allow additional economic growth in the City of Tiptonville and Lake County by providing improvement to the transportation system. Provide a north/south route to serve demand for regional accessibility to the interstate highway system and protect that provision in the future.



3. Increase the capacity on existing State Route 22 in order to improve safety and mobility.



4. Widening needed to handle increased traffic demand spurred by Cates Landing Industrial Park, any other commercial development, and construction of new access road connecting to the existing route.



5. Addressing transportation needs through corridor planning offers many benefits and represents a new way of identifying transportation improvements throughout the state. Rather than planning on a project-by-project basis and in a piecemeal fashion, corridor planning allows TDOT to look at a larger area and develop creative, collaborative and long-term solutions to problems. Projects developed through corridor planning offer more transportation choices and are more financially responsible in a time of limited resources at all government levels.