State Condemnation Suit To Continue On 127 After Fentress Approval

The state will move forward with a condemnation suit to obtain land needed to continue work on the Highway 127 expansion.

The Fentress County Board of Commission approved the suit. The state files a condemnation suit when a financial agreement on property between the state and a landowner cannot be reached. County Executive Jimmy Johnson said this is a state decision and his hands were tied.

“It has to be passed through to agree with the state to do so, and then the money that was on the tax roll for that piece of property, whether it be however big that property is, it comes off of the tax rolls of Fentress County,” Johnson said. “So, Fentress County loses that much tax collection on that piece of property.”

The road project will widen US-127 to a five-lane highway through Cumberland and Fentress Counties. Johnson said he hoped the state would not run into any more issues on the 25 miles of roadway they are working on.

“There in the phase of that area right now of just purchasing property and getting right-away accessibility is what they’re doing through there,” Johnson said.

Johnson said it is concerning anytime the county loses tax dollars.

“You lose tax revenue if a piece of parcel comes off,” Johnson said. “It’s a very little parcel. It’s very little, but it’s just something they have to do to move the boundaries of the right away a little further.”

The project runs from I-40 to the Fentress County bypass. When completed the roadway will have four lanes and a dedicated turn lane. In some areas they are also adding paved shoulders and sidewalks. They are also going to put new traffic signals and additional turn lanes at the bypass.

According to the state nearly 7,000 vehicles travel the route daily. The project is scheduled for completion in 2025.