The City of Chattanooga will be remediating Northpoint Boulevard. Businesses that own parts of Northpoint Boulevard have agreed to donate the rights of way for the city to make repairs to the road and improve the quality of life for Chattanoogans who use the road to get to and from work, school and businesses.
“This area has experienced tremendous growth over the last several years, with about 10,000 people traveling this route daily,” Mayor Andy Berke says. “Since taking office in 2013, we have worked hard on a long-term solution for Northpoint Boulevard, which was only possible after reaching this partnership agreement with the businesses.”
Following years of new development and significant growth in the area, Northpoint Boulevard serves as a connector between two major highways – Highway 153 and Hixson Pike. Currently, parts of Northpoint Boulevard are owned by the City of Chattanooga and the rest by private entities.
“One of my first priorities upon taking office in 2013 was to address the poor road conditions in Hixson, especially Northpoint Boulevard, as it was a primary thoroughfare for our community but could not be paved since it was a private and publicly-owned road,” Councilman Ken Smith says.
“After years of work with the property owners and with support from the Office of the City Attorney, the Transportation Department and Mayor Berke’s administration, I am pleased the city can finally fix and pave Northpoint Boulevard without using eminent domain or city tax dollars to acquire the privately-owned portions of this key road in the Hixson community.”
While it is not standard practice for the city to accept donations of private roads, Northpoint has a series of road defects impacting the safety of numerous Chattanoogans who travel the road daily for work and to access businesses.
“Our businesses rely on our customers and visitors having easy and safe access to our front doors,” FirstBank Chattanooga President Jim McKenzie says. “I want to thank Councilman Smith, Mayor Berke and the city for their leadership in taking on a difficult situation and guiding the many partners toward a solution that serves our community and the affected businesses well.”
Construction began Sunday, July 23 and will last about one month. The repairs to bring the road up to standards and increase safety are expected to cost about $500,000.
Source: City of Chattanooga