TDOT: Reconstruct US 64 from Pelham to Cleveland, TN

While most people are probably unaware of the history of US 64 in southeast Tennessee, every resident of Cleveland knows how inconvenient it is to get to Nashville and how much easier and quicker it would be if there were some kind of bypass route north of Chattanooga that connected them directly to I-24. This is a petition asking TDOT to construct just that, more specifically US 64. Although I'm not 100% certain, I've been told by multiple people that US 64, instead of running concurrent with US 11 and 41 as it does now, originally continued west of Cleveland (the first few miles of what is now SR 312/Harrison Pike) and crossed the Tennessee River about where Sequoyah Nuclear Plant is located, then crossed US 27 in what is now Soddy-Daisy, then crossed the Cumberland Plateau before intersecting with US 41 near Pelham, TN, which is now where the concurrency with US 41/I 24 splits off from (see map above). While I'm not certain how true this is, it completely makes logical sense. This petition is asking TDOT to construct this very route, more specifically, a four-lane divided highway running between Cleveland and I-24 exit 127 near Pelham, TN, with interchanges at some major crossings (such as US 27, 127, SR 58, etc.) and four way intersections at others with minimal stops. There are a few reasons for this. As mentioned, it would be so much more convenient for Clevelanders traveling to Nashville (and vice versa), allowing them to bypass Chattanooga and possibly cutting off 50 or more miles from their trip. Perhaps this would be the most beneficial to the thousands of truck drivers each who travel between Nashville and Cleveland, allowing them to avoid Monteagle Mountain on I-24, widely considered one of the top ten most hazardous stretches of highway in the United States, although this proposed route would have some moderately hazardous stretches, too. This would also be of convenience to residents of the communities in northern Hamilton County, many who have been calling for a new bridge across the Tennessee River between Soddy-Daisy and about Harrison or Lakesite, as there is no bridge across the River for more than 30 miles. That could be incorporated into this larger project. For all intents and purposes, constructing this highway would be extremely beneficial to thousands of motorists and commuters each day. This is a petition asking TDOT to strongly at least consider constructing this route. While it would be extremely long and costly, such projects such as Interstate 840 and all of the interstate widening/reconstructions in the Nashville area in the last 20-30 years show that it can be done.