State officials visit Henry Co. to break ground on highway project

PARIS, Tenn. — The dirt hit the ground Friday as Tennessee officials launched a transportation project wanted by many in the area.

“It’s a 2.7-mile project, about $27 million project, and it’s the beginning of a road the people in this community have wanted for quite some time,” Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner John Schroer said.

Jim Henry, deputy to the governor, joined Schroer celebrating the widening of US 641.

“The IMPROVE Act we passed is one of the premier things Gov. Haslam wanted to do, and it will continue for us to have good roads in Tennessee, and they will be paid for,” Henry said.

Thanks to the IMPROVE Act, the road will grow from two lanes to five lanes starting around Rison Street and going to Smith Road.

“You drive up and down, we are taking trees out of the right of way, and we are under construction, basically,” Schroer said.

Crews are already hard at work and the project will include a curb and gutter section.

“There’s nothing better than good transportation because it allows you to move product,” Henry said.

Henry believes it will bring in more jobs.

“You will see an influx in people that can get here, and it will all deal with lifting the economy,” Henry said.

“This is a big tourist area and a lot of people come to this area,” Schroer said. “We want to make sure we have the road capacity to get it done.”

“I think it marks an era in Tennessee how we take care of roads better than any other state in my opinion,” Henry said.

The project is scheduled to be completed in 2020.