Oak Ridge Today

Public meeting on Thursday on proposed Clinton Highway improvements

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Clinton Highway 10-Year Crash Map

A 10-year crash map shows 10 fatal crashes in 10 years in a 2.6-mile section of Clinton Highway between Edgemoor Road and the Anderson County-Knox County line. (Map by TDOT)

 

Oak Ridge Today/WYSH Radio

There will be an opportunity for the public to comment on Thursday on proposed improvements to a 2.6-mile stretch of Clinton Highway from Edgemoor Road to the Knox County line, where 10 people have died in crashes in the past decade.

Comments will be documented and transmitted to the Tennessee Department of Transportation. The meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, August 11, in Room 312 at the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton.

During a public meeting in July, TDOT presented its proposal to resurface and realign a 2.6-mile stretch of Clinton Highway—Highway 25W—from Edgemoor Road to the Knox County line. TDOT said it developed the proposal after reviewing crash data that showed that between 2006 and last year, 10 fatal accidents and 11 others involving serious injuries have occurred on that stretch of highway. That section of roadway includes a hilly, curvy area with no median or center lane. The roadway shoulders are limited in some spots, the speed limit is 50 mph, and there are several areas with no buffers between traffic traveling north and south, meaning vehicles move past each other around curves while moving in opposite directions. [Read more…]

Photos: TDOT at Claxton meeting on Clinton Highway improvements

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Clinton Highway 10-Year Crash Map

A 10-year crash map shows 10 fatal crashes in 10 years in a 2.6-mile section of Clinton Highway between Edgemoor Road and the Anderson County-Knox County line. (Map by TDOT)

 

The Tennessee Department of Transportation is considering modifying a 2.6-mile section of Clinton Highway where there have been 10 fatal crashes in a decade. The four-lane roadway could be reduced to three lanes with a passing lane and a center turn lane.

The proposal was presented at a community meeting at the Claxton Community Center on Thursday evening. Here are photos and graphics from the meeting and a TDOT presentation.

Clinton Highway Alternative 1 July 2016

A widened five-lane roadway on Clinton Highway in a 2.6-mile section of road between Edgemoor Road and the Anderson County-Knox County line could cost $30 million and take 15 years, the Tennessee Department of Transportation said in a meeting in Claxton on Thursday, July 7, 2016. (Image by TDOT)

[Read more…]

TDOT considers three lanes with passing lane, center turn on part of Clinton Highway

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TDOT Claxton Meeting Clinton Highway Improvements July 7 2016

Tennessee Department of Transportation officials gave a presentation about possible improvements to a 2.6-mile section of Clinton Highway between Edgemoor Road and the Anderson County-Knox County line at a community meeting in Claxton on Thursday, July 7, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

CLAXTON—The Tennessee Department of Transportation is considering modifying a 2.6-mile section of Clinton Highway where there have been 10 fatal crashes in a decade. The four-lane roadway could be reduced to three lanes with a passing lane and a center turn lane.

The proposal was presented at a community meeting at the Claxton Community Center on Thursday evening. It wasn’t a TDOT public meeting, but TDOT officials gave a presentation at the request of Anderson County officials.

There have been 10 fatal crashes in 10 years on a 2.6-mile section of Clinton Highway between Edgemoor Road and the Anderson County-Knox County line, TDOT said.

“That’s pretty high in a small section of roadway,” said Nathan Vatter, TDOT regional traffic engineer. “It’s a significant number of fatalities.”

In addition to the fatal crashes, there have been 11 crashes with incapacitating injuries, 87 other injuries, and 252 total crashes.

The short section of roadway includes a hilly, curvy area with no median or center lane. The roadway shoulders are limited in areas, the speed limit is 50 mph, and there are several areas with no buffers between traffic traveling north and south, meaning vehicles zoom past each other around curves while moving in opposite directions. [Read more…]

TDOT to give Thursday presentation on future improvements to Clinton Highway

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The Tennessee Department of Transportation has been asked to give a Thursday evening presentation on future improvements to a 2.6-mile section of Clinton Highway from Edgemoor Road to the Knox County line.

The community meeting is at the Claxton Community Center from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 7.

Anderson County officials asked TDOT to give the presentation, spokesperson Mark Nagi said. [Read more…]

County mayor to host community meeting for Claxton road project

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The Anderson County Mayor’s Office will host a community meeting on July 7 in Claxton, and the public is invited to attend and hear from state road officials about plans to improve Clinton Highway (US 25W) from Edgemoor Road to the Knox County line.

The community meeting will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on July 7 at the Claxton Community Center, 1150 Edgemoor Road. Officials from the Tennessee Department of Transportation will discuss the project in detail as well as gather input from the public. Representative John Ragan and Senator Randy McNally, as well as Claxton Commissioners Tracy Wandell and Chuck Fritts are scheduled to be in attendance.

The proposed project—intended to reduce fatal and injury motor vehicle crashes while improving safety and access along the corridor—will include resurfacing the existing roadway and reconfiguring lane markings to allow dedicated passing areas, a continuous center turn lane, and wider shoulders, a press release said. The project was initiated after a meeting in April 2016 between Anderson County, TDOT, and local and state law enforcement officials. [Read more…]

Motorcyclist injured in truck-motorcycle crash

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Edgemoor-Road-Motorcycle-and-Truck-Crash-June-23-2016

The Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, and other authorities and emergency medical services respond to a crash between a motorcycle and a tractor-trailer on Edgemoor Road at Haw Ridge Park on Thursday, June 23, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 1:52 p.m.

A motorcyclist was injured in a crash between a tractor-trailer and a motorcycle on Edgemoor Road on Thursday morning, authorities said.

The crash between an 18-wheeler and a motorcycle was reported at about 8:28 a.m. Thursday at Haw Ridge Park.

The name and condition of the motorcyclist and the type of motorcycle weren’t available Thursday morning. The motorcyclist was taken by ambulance to a hospital.

Oak Ridge Police Department Chief Jim Akagi said the motorcyclist was driving east on Edgemoor Road, headed toward Clinton Highway, when the motorcyclist appears to have passed the truck on the right, apparently on the shoulder of the road, as the eastbound tractor-trailer turned right into the parking lot at Haw Ridge. The motorcycle appears to have hit the truck on its passenger side, Akagi said. [Read more…]

City to discuss power interruptions in east Oak Ridge on Monday

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City of Oak Ridge Seal

Oak Ridge municipal staff members will discuss short power interruptions, or “blinks,” that have occurred in parts of east Oak Ridge in the past weeks during an informal meeting on Monday.

The meeting is scheduled from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Monday, December 21, at the Centennial Golf Course Clubhouse.

“The purpose of the meeting will be to make information available to residents and other interested parties regarding a series of short power interruptions, or blinks, which have been occurring in the area for the last several weeks,” a City of Oak Ridge press release said.

The areas that have been affected include: [Read more…]

Updated: Power restored in east Oak Ridge

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Note: This story was updated at 12:48 p.m.

There was a power outage in parts of Rivers Run, along Edgemoor Road, and off of Edgemoor Road, Oak Ridge officials said late Wednesday morning.

But power was restored to residents on the east side of the city early Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

“If you are still are without power, please call the Electric Department at (865) 425-1803,” the City of Oak Ridge said. “Thank you for your patience during this outage.”

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Man taken to hospital, child not injured when truck, boat, trailer roll into water

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A man was taken to the hospital and a child was not injured when a pickup truck, boat, and trailer rolled backward into the Clinch River at Solway Park late Thursday afternoon, authorities said.

The man was pulling the boat out of the water when a young child inside the pickup truck knocked the vehicle out of gear, Oak Ridge Fire Department Battalion Chief David Harrington said. The truck and a boat and trailer that were attached rolled backward into the water at about 4:50 p.m. Thursday.

The man went into the water to get the child and was able to save the kid, who was not injured, but the man got cold from being in the water and was taken to the hospital for an evaluation, Harrington said. [Read more…]

Dollar General in Claxton robbed at knifepoint Saturday

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Dollar General Robbery Suspect Oct. 24, 2015

Photo courtesy Anderson County Sheriff’s Department

 

The Dollar General Store on Edgemoor Road in Claxton was robbed at knifepoint on Saturday, October 24, shortly before 10 p.m., authorities said.

The suspect threatened the clerk with a knife and demanded money, according to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department. The assistant manager opened the register, and the suspect fled on foot across Edgemoor Road with some $375 in cash, Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said.

Sheriff’s K-9s were called to the scene and tracked the suspect through the Greenview Village housing complex into Greenview Apartments on Old Edgemoor Road to a vacant apartment. The window of the empty apartment was found to be open, and it appeared someone had been staying there, Lucas said. However, no one was found at the time of the search. [Read more…]

Thirteen people, eight vehicles involved in two crashes on Edgemoor Road

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Edgemoor Road Bridge Crash

One driver was possibly injured and cited for a failure to use due care after this three-vehicle crash on Edgemoor Road on Friday afternoon left one vehicle partially stuck on the concrete rail of the bridge over the Clinch River. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Thirteen people in eight vehicles were involved in two of the three crashes reported on Edgemoor Road on Thursday and Friday last week.

But only one person had possible injuries in those two crashes, according to Oak Ridge Police Department reports.

The first crash, a five-vehicle wreck, was reported on Edgemoor Road about two-tenths of a mile west of Lakeview Circle at about 5:39 p.m. Thursday, August 13. None of the 10 occupants of the five vehicles was injured, according to reports.

ORPD Officer Shane Tilley reported that a 1991 Chevrolet pickup driven west on Edgemoor Road, also known as State Route 170, by Jeremy P. Bentley, 46, of Knoxville, was unable to stop when traffic stopped in front of him.

Bentley then struck the rear of a 2014 Dodge pickup driven by Charles E. Dishman, 35, of Clinton, which in turn hit the rear of a 2012 Hyundai sedan driven by William M. Cunningham of Maryville. Cunningham’s sedan then hit the rear of a 2008 Nissan Altima driven by Chong Kim, 74, of Knoxville, which hit the rear of a 2009 Nissan Altima driven by Deena A. Chase, 48, of Knoxville. [Read more…]

Edgemoor Road bridge temporarily closed after crash leaves car stuck on rail

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Edgemoor Road Bridge Crash

The right rear tire of a vehicle was stuck on the concrete rail of the Edgemoor Road bridge over the Clinch River after a two-vehicle crash between Oak Ridge and Claxton on Friday afternoon. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The right rear tire of a vehicle was stuck on the concrete rail of the Edgemoor Road bridge over the Clinch River after a two-vehicle crash between Oak Ridge and Claxton on Friday afternoon.

The crash was reported at about 1:55 p.m. Friday. Authorities temporarily shut down Edgemoor Road at the bridge. Emergency workers were able to pull the vehicle off the rail at about 2:50 p.m. The stuck vehicle appeared to a compact SUV.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Concrete Rail at Edgemoor Road Bridge

The concrete rail on the Oak Ridge side of the Edgemoor Road bridge. The Bull Run Fossil Plant in Claxton is pictured in the background.