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The Blount County Planning Commission wants to keep a scaled-down variant of the controversial Southern Loop proposal on the drawing board.

During a special called meeting on Tuesday, planning commissioners indicated that they wanted to keep the proposal for a two-lane bypass around the cities of Alcoa and Maryville in the text of the county Policies Plan. The commission is currently revising the guidance document, which has not been updated since 1999.

The commissioners seemed to agree that the proposal, among other long-term projects listed in the Knoxville Regional Transportation Organization’s Long Range Transportation Plan, should be left in the Policies Plan to be discussed.

“Whether we agree with them or not, it would probably be wise to leave them in there for discussion,” Gary Farmer said.

“It has to be in there to be talked about,” Rick Brownlie said.

Original proposals for the bypass had envisioned a four-lane roadway. The new proposal is for a two-lane roadway similar to U.S. 411 North, Planning Director John Lamb said.

The TPO plan calls for the construction of a bypass by 2030, but Lamb said discussions of the need for the roadway centered on the extreme long-term.
“They are talking about 50 years or more out,” Lamb said.

“Long after you and I are pushing up daisies,” Farmer said.

Lamb stressed that the Southern Loop project is not foreordained.

“This may not be something that ever comes up,” he said.

Blount County Commission Chairman Robert Ramsey, who sits on the Planning Commission, said the commission had voted to extend William Blount Drive to Lamar Alexander Parkway in a similar loop back in 1994.

“We voted to approve (the concept) then,” Ramsey said. “My vote is still good.”

According to information contained in the City of Alcoa’s 2025 Comprehensive Plan, the two-lane roadway would be approximately 30 miles long, beginning at the intersection of Topside Road and Alcoa Highway, extending to U.S. Highway 411 South and connecting with Lamar Alexander Parkway. The current estimated cost would be about $68 million.