The 23-mile stretch of Interstate 40 through Roane County, Tennessee, has become one of the state’s most hazardous corridors, with emergency responders handling an average of 1,703 incidents annually—nearly five per day—leading to significant safety concerns for drivers, families, and first responders. In response, Roane County Commissioners unanimously approved a joint safety resolution on Monday night, proposed by Commissioner Ben Wilson, who stressed that action was long overdue.

The resolution directs nine specific requests to the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), including reducing the speed limit to 60 mph with stricter enforcement, installing prominent warning signs and caution lights at county lines, enforcing “no parking” zones on all entrance and exit ramps, expanding the interstate to three lanes in each direction, extending acceleration/deceleration lanes at key exits, restricting 18-wheeled trucks to the right lane in certain segments, establishing coordination protocols with nearby national security facilities like ORNL and Y-12, prioritizing upgrades on alternate state routes, and adding dynamic message signs along with CCTV cameras for real-time monitoring.

TDOT representative Mark Nagi acknowledged the corridor’s critical role, particularly for transporting materials related to Oak Ridge nuclear facilities, as noted by State Sen. Ken Yager. The department outlined immediate and planned actions, such as extending HELP Truck coverage starting today, March 10, to provide roadside assistance during peak congestion, reviewing and installing “no parking” signage on ramps, initiating installation of dynamic message signs and additional CCTV cameras (beginning with one DMS and two cameras at Exit 340) in Spring 2026 as part of an ongoing project to improve queue detection and situational awareness, and conducting a comprehensive traffic study to assess speed limits, ramp queues, crash data, and signage.

Findings from the study will inform future projects, and TDOT encouraged the county to pursue grants for optimizing traffic signals on parallel routes. Tennessee Highway Patrol also plans to increase patrol presence, while both state agencies and local leaders, including Roane County Executive Wade Cresswell, described the collaborative “all-of-the-above” approach as a multi-faceted effort that will require ongoing discussions and time to yield substantial safety improvements.