New Canada Road

Project Description

New Canada Road has been planned for the City since the early 1990's, and funds for the design and construction of the road were recently approved in the Shelby County Metropolitan Planning Organization Plan and authorized by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT).

The new roadway is a realignment of existing Canada Road between Interstate 40 and Highway 70. The new roadway will be a four lane divided street featuring landscaped islands and seperated bike and pedestrian trails on both sides of the roadway. The new alignment is approximately 2.3 miles in length.

This will be an 80 percent grant, with the City contributing 20 percent. Grant funding is from TDOT's Surface Transportation Program which is part of the current Federal Highway Transportation Act. The City of Lakeland will provide the remaining funds utilizing general fund monies to match federal monies. The anticipated project cost for New Canada Road is nearly $12,000,000 of which the City of Lakeland will provide a local match of $2,400,000.

The project has an approved environmental clearance document and is currently under preliminary design. The City anticipates approval to start Right-Of-Way (R.O.W.) acquisition in the summer of 2013.

Construction funding must be approved through the Metropolitan Planning Organization and obligated by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT). The city is submitting applications to receive construction funding during calendar year 2017 or 2018.

NEPA Status

At the completion of the CSS Process, a joint CSS Public Workshop and NEPA Public Meeting was conducted on September 29, 2009, to begin the Environmental Assessment process. The Tennessee Environmental Streamlining Agreement (TESA) Concurrence Point-1 Purpose and Need of the project was prepared and submitted to participating agencies on December 21, 2009. After a 45-day review and comment period the Concurrence Point-2 Alternatives Analysis was prepared recapping alternatives developed during the CSS process. CP-2 was submitted on June 10, 2010, and the CP-2 field review was conducted on August 5, 2010. After the 45-day review and comment period for CP-2, technical studies in the areas of Air Quality, Noise Impacts, Wetlands and Ecology, Archaeological Assessment, Architectural/Historical Impacts, Hazardous Materials, and Floodplain Impacts were initiated. No major impacts were observed during the studies, and the City of Lakeland and Tennessee Department of Transportation requested the project be reclassified as a Categorical Exclusion by letter dated December 13, 2010. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved the reclassification on January 13, 2011.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved the reclassification on January 13, 2011, and the Categorical Exclusion was submitted to TDOT and FHWA for review. The document was signed by TDOT on March 1, 2011, and by FHWA on March 8, 2011. The signed document will be made available for public review (Categorical Exclusion for New Canada Road), at a Public Meeting (Public Meeting Notice) was scheduled for April 7, 2011. The Municipal Planning Commission and the Board of Commissioners approved the preferred alignment in May and June 2011. Copies of the document can be reviewed at Lakeland City Hall, 10001 U.S. Highway 70.