Numerous crashes on I-75 in Loud

LOUDON CO., Tenn. (WVLT) - Thousands travel I-75 each day in East Tennessee, but there’s been more than 20 crashes in the last month on a particular stretch of Loudon County that’s causing concerns for officials.

Loudon County Sheriff Jimmy Davis said his deputies are called out to that stretch nearly every day. To stay safe, he said patrols are on the rise, but he urges drivers to stay mindful on the road.

“It’s the straightest interstate that I know of around, and it seems to be the most dangerous,” Davis said.

Davis said deputies have responded to 22 crashes on that stretch within the last month.

“Whether that can be contributed to impaired driving, distracted driving or speed because it is so straight that people speed, tend to get up there, and that can contribute to the severity of the crashes,” Davis said.

Besides the growing number of drivers, there’s also congestion.

“Right past the Lenoir City exit, which is Exit 81 going northbound into Knox County, that’s kind of a bottleneck,” Davis said. “Where 40 and 75 come together, that tends to be congested daily.”

The growth of the county also puts more drivers on the roadways as I-75 is a main corridor for travel.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation’s traffic count showed an increase of 640 cars in 2023 and 671 cars in 2024.

“So they all kind of meet right here in our county, which is a contributing factor as well, people not being familiar,” Davis said.

He said the Tennessee Highway Patrol will be increasing their patrols on the interstate.

Safety on I-75 hits close to home for the sheriff’s office. Sgt. Chris Jenkins was killed back in 2022 while clearing debris from a crash on the interstate.

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Sgt. Jenkins’ son was training to be a K-9 officer when his father was killed. He is now a K-9 officer with his father’s badge number.

Davis also took a moment to remind everyone to stay alert on the road no matter what.

There is a $97.4 million widening project on the horizon for I-75 in Loudon County, but it’s not slated to start until 2027, according to TDOT. The agency said widening the interstate will reduce crashes and help with congestion.

It’s part of a bigger 10 year project for the state.