TDOT Moving Forward on High School Intersection Improvements

Tennessee Department of Transportation will be accepting bids on improvements to the intersection of Hwy 92 and Dumplin Valley. The Town of Dandridge recently partnered with Jefferson County and the Jefferson County Department of Education and TDOT, to improve the intersection of Hwy 92 and Dumplin Valley for a signal light project aimed at managing the influx of traffic from the schools and the heavily traveled roads. Though the road preparation that was requested by TDOT to secure the grant for the signal light has been completed, recent concerns have been raised regarding the ability to properly navigate the intersection. Jefferson County Commissioner Carmichael was one of the first to question the viability of the intersection for large vehicles, including school buses. Director of Schools Edmonds and Director of Business Affairs for Jefferson County Schools, Michael Phagan, echoed Commissioner Carmichael’s concern about the intersection, especially for the multitude of school buses that travel Dumplin Valley.

TDOT Community Relations Officer for Region 1, Mark Nagi, stated in correspondence from October 17, 2013, that TDOT was aware that the turn was tight onto DumplinValley and would contact the Town of Dandridge concerning the issue. It was announced on November 12, 2013, that the State will be taking bids on improvements to the intersection through December 6, 2013. It is hopeful that the signal light will be installed in early 2014, though it is not known if the improvements will impact the installation schedule.