Buck Stops Here: What’s it going to take?

I remember a drive ten years ago up Chapman Highway. I was on my way to Madisonville and looked at a map and found that I could get there by going down Highway 411. Of course to get there from Sevierville I took Chapman. The beauty of the road struck me, and there were possibly four or five vehicles that passed me along the way. Ten years later, you’re lucky if you see any of the roadside beauty because of the traffic. This road is being heavily traveled and according to the TDOT traffic has increased dramatically over the past four years. With this many cars and trucks on the roadway, when will it become evident that it needs some attention? I know they just repaved a portion of the road, and yes it’s very smooth, but what needs to be done is a major overhaul, much like the section from Whites School Road to Sevierville. I have been on too many traffic accident assignments in my short time covering stories for The Herald, too many that may have been prevented if there was a divided four lane or a left hand turn lane, which is even simpler. The latest involved a woman that turned in front of a truck and the authorities had to take her away in the LifeStar helicopter. While I was standing there I talked with several citizens that had gathered. The conversation centered on how dangerous the road had become. One longtime resident made the point about the increased businesses that are on the road now compared to ten years ago. These businesses require cars to slow down, make turns to the right and left on the highway, especially towards Seymour and as you get into Knoxville. The turns, of course, require a slow down by the car or truck doing them, so drivers must watch closely to make sure they don’t run over someone in front of them. Hard to do when you’re going 60 to 70 mph. There is construction that was scheduled for the highway starting on the other side of Rogers Road and continuing up to the intersection of Boyd’s Creek/Chapman and Highway 411. That construction has been delayed until spring due to an issue with drainage on the construction route. How many people have to be injured or killed before the state realizes the dangers of Chapman Highway? There’s hardly is a week that goes by that there is not a serious wreck on the road that stretches from Knoxville to Sevierville. Many other roads in the Knox/Sevier/Blount County area have had increase in traffic, and TDOT is dealing with the situation as best they can with budget constraints and weather in mind. My only issue is that Chapman Highway needs to be put at the top of someone’s list, someone important. A close look needs to be made by our representatives to fix this situation.