News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter said T-DOT has heard the county’s message on adding a third lane on Monterey Mountain.
This project was listed among the priorities in T-DOT’s 20-year plan. Porter said safety is a big issue on this part of I-40, for residents and first responders.
Porter said discussions with T-DOT indicates some issues with adding a third lane under the overpasses, but said there could be a solution.
“If you start at the bottom of Monterey Mountain until the first overpass, way on up the mountain… You could put a truck lane there and let the traffic veer back into two lanes,” Porter said. “Then after you pass that one, then open it back up with a third lane, so you could get a big portion of the mountain, I think with three lanes.”
Porter said the “squeaky wheel gets the grease,” and staying on T-DOT’s radar is dependent on keeping legislators and the agency aware of the need. He said everyone has an interest in making Monterey Mountain a safer place to drive.
“The county, the chamber, all the folks that are involved and want to see this happen,” Porter said. “It’s just making sure that we reinforce that issue every now and then, to make sure it stays on their radar screen.”
He said hardly a day goes by without an accident on Monterey Mountain. When one accident occurs, more tend to pile up behind it.
“What normally happens when they have one accident, because of the curves and the hill, they wind up having more minor accidents behind that,” Porter said. “A truck lane or a third lane, even if they can’t do it all the way up the mountain, would absolutely be a benefit.”
Adding a third lane on Monterey Mountain topped the list in a 2018 transportation survey given to residents. Over 1,000 residents responded to that survey, and over half ranked the project in their top-five.
