The surprise announcement (at the Tuesday Feb. 19 2008 TDOT meeting) of the necessity of the Southern Loop and Alcoa Parkway to make the PPE worth building got the attention of lots of people and the press Link...

The Southern Loop is a 26-mile beltway around Maryville and Alcoa.
Drivers heading south on 129 could get onto the Loop and continue west and south.

Five years ago CAPPE said the PPE wouldn't aid traffic congestion by itself because most drivers are going south on 129 and 411. At the time local officials said the Southern Loop 'would never be built.' But the Southern Loop is still in the Long Range Transportation Plan for our region. That plan is voted on by representatives of our local governments.

Even UT's Center for Transportation Research, in their review of TDOT's planning for the PPE, said more attention needed to be given to the terminus of the PPE on 321 and if the long term plan was to build the Southern Loop, that TDOT needed to study the impact of the entire beltway.

Now even TDOT is saying that the PPE will relieve traffic congestion ONLY if the Southern Loop AND Alcoa Parkway are built.

If our elected officials didn't know that the supposed benefits of the PPE require the Southern Loop, what else don't they know? What will the impacts of the Southern Loop and Alcoa Parkway be on our communities?

To read CAPPE's response to the Feb. 19 meeting, go to Link... or Link... and click on
"CAPPE’s response to Feb 19 2008 TDOT public meeting."