Fixing I-26. (Johnson City, Kingsport, Franklin: live in, centers, design)

[Serious Conversation]

Kingsport Times-News: Should Interstate 26 have six lanes?

The Times-News ran a piece the other day on a traffic study There was a significant wreck on Monday near the Gray exit going westbound back toward Kingsport. Traffic was tied up for hours.

I've done the Johnson City to Kingsport commute and Kingsport to Johnson City via I-26 this past year. Kingsport to JC in the morning is brutal - the 27 miles often took me about 40 minutes, and there were routine delays and going back to 20-40 mph for no apparent reason between Gray and State of Franklin. The evening commute back to Kingsport was bad, but not nearly as bad as the morning commute into JC on average. JC to Kingsport in the morning and the reverse in the evening don't seem nearly as bad.

IMO, the third lane should be mandatory. The T-N article estimates that about 60,000 trips per day occur on this section of interstate. This isn't a small town highway - it's the only real commuting route between the two cities. Sure, you can take 36, but with all the red lights, it's probably going to be slower. It's also not nearly as convenient as 26 is to the job centers in Kingsport.

[Carolina Knight]

If I were to fix Interstate 26, I would fix the interchange at Interstate 81. The cloverleaf interchange does not function well for increased traffic and lane weaving.

I would look at a westward extension of Interstate 26. The extension would intersect Interstate 75 in Loudon, Kentucky, then terminate at Interstate 65 west of Glaslow, Kentucky.

[PacersFan]

I would not in favor of extending I26 into Kentucky because it would just add more traffic. We live in Gray and I cannot tell you how many backups there are on that road. I think part of it might be due to the high speed limit in the area. A third land would help. Two improvements I would like to see is a better interchange at Boone's Creek with a light on the west side and a guardrail on the Gray exit between the ramp and the Gray Quarry. There is a guardrail in front of part of it, but not all of it. It's just a matter of time before a car ends up in it. I agree about the cloverleaf at I81 also -- the merge lanes are way too short for all the crazy drivers out there!

[Blue Ridge]

Let's be clear: extending I-26 beyond its current northern (western) terminus is not currently on the table. This article centers solely on TDOT's ongoing "18-month study to maximize the potential of the interstate in the Tri-Cities, as well as Interstates 55 and 75 in West Tennessee and East Tennessee, respectively."

I agree that both a redesign of the interchange with I-81 and additional lanes should be considered.

[rccrain]

6 lanes will not accomplish much IMO.