Interstate Widening

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - The Tennessee Department of Transportation has plans to expand a section of I-75 to relieve congestion in a growing East Tennessee community.

Loudon County sits behind Knox as one of the fastest-growing communities in East Tennessee, according to a University of Tennessee study. Hamilton County has the biggest growth in the southeastern part of the state.

Two of Loudon County’s biggest cities are feeling the influx of people moving there.

Lenoir City’s city administrator, Amber Scott Kelso, said, “A lot has changed in the past two to five years with more and more people moving to Lenoir City and Loudon County.”

Loudon Mayor Jeff Harris said the county’s location likely plays a role.

“Close to the Smoky Mountains and close to Knoxville and close to Chattanooga. All of those are within an hour drive,” Harris said.

A business in Lenoir City has also seen more people opening up shops in the city and more people coming to their stores.

Mary Bright owns the Sparkly Pig, and she said many of her customers aren’t from Tennessee.

“A lot of my customer base now is from another state, which is fine,” Bright said. “I love people from wherever.”

TDOT wants to widen the stretch of I-75 from the I-40/75 split to the Lenoir City exit. The current interstate is two lanes in each direction. State officials want to make it a three-lane road.

“That’s a major choke point for a lot of folks in the area traveling around and into our community,” Scott Kelso said.

“I think it’s a project that’s been long overdue,” Harris said.

City officials in both communities said a project like this would help with future growth.

“We’ll see a bit more growth, but at some point, I believe it will level off. We do want to see an increase in commercial development to meet the needs of the people that are moving here,” Scott Kelso said.

Harris said, “Certainly at some point, [Lenoir City] is going to reach a limit, and the people we’ve seen are going to come on down to Loudon and enjoy the benefits we have here just because of the overcrowding and things that are up north from us.”

TDOT expects to start construction on the project in 2027 with no timetable on when it’d be complete. Officials said they’d use money from the Transportation Modernization Fund to pay for the cost.