Committee approves non‑interference agreement with TDOT for I‑24 Southeast Choice Lanes project

Rutherford County’s Public Works and Planning Committee on June 2 approved a proposed agreement with the Tennessee Department of Transportation for the I‑24 Southeast Choice Lanes project.

Assistant County Engineer Jared Bonar described the agreement as a non‑interference arrangement similar to one previously used for a developer‑funded bridge project: ‘‘in short order, it basically says that we won't do anything to interfere with their project and they won't cost us any money when they build it,’’ he said. Commissioners asked whether the county attorney had reviewed the proposal; Bonar said there had been back‑and‑forth and that both sides had agreed to the current language.

Commissioners also asked for clarification about which county roads/bridges lie inside the project limits; staff said only a short stretch north of the 840 interchange and a single county bridge near the project footprint are implicated and most of the corridor lies within nearby municipalities. No construction start or completion dates were available from TDOT staff, Bonar said — a prior three‑year schedule had been discussed but he had not been given current start/completion targets.

The committee approved the agreement by roll call.