Several years ago the Tennessee Department of Transportation decided to widen a portion of Hwy. 321 north of Gatlinburg, through the town of Pittman Center and out to Interstate-40 in Cocke County.

Gatlinburg Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Vicki Simms said the plan was met by controversy from many residents of the area who said they believed the improvements to the road were detrimental to the natural resources and aesthetic views it previously provided.

The retaining walls put in place during that project were recently referred to as a "concrete canyon," by Simms at this month's meeting of the Committee of 100, a group of Lenoir City business and community leaders.

The lessons learned in Gatlinburg eventually led Simms and others to form a Highway 321 Regional Task Force with the goal of working with TDOT to make the Hwy. 321 corridor a part of TDOT's Long Range Multi-Modal Transportation Program.

Simms informed the committee members that goal has been met and now the task force is working on marketing the corridor to tourists and continuing to communicate with TDOT about the way it is developed.

"The need for this project is to protect the natural, cultural and historic integrity of the corridor and enhance the visitor experience to the area and Great Smoky Mountains National Park by determining the long-range transportation needs and design criteria for the Highway 321 Corridor," the group's overview statement says.

The task force identifies the corridor as the stretch of Hwy 321 from Interstate-40 in Loudon County through Blount, Sevier, Cocke, Greene, Washington and Carter counties to the North Carolina line.

Simms said the task force members understand the 321 corridor features different communities with different needs, but also offers motorists an opportunity to experience the diversity of landscapes and people in East Tennessee, while taking a scenic drive through the seven counties included.

Simms said the regional approach to the corridor will help secure funding and support in Nashville and Washington D.C.

Among the concerns the group has addressed are a loss of the unique mountain heritage and charm of East Tennessee and the over-development and commercialization of certain areas of the highway.

In addition to support from the Committee of 100, the task force has received letters of support from several government bodies along the corridor, including the Lenoir City Council, Loudon County Commission, Loudon County Chamber of Commerce and the Loudon County Visitor's Bureau. 

The list does not include any of the entities north of Interstate-40, though Simms said discussions have taken place in Greene, Washington and Carter counties, and support is growing.

Simms said they are attempting to raise $25,000 as part of a $125,000 matching grant from the American Scenic Byways federal program. They are asking for $5,000 from each of the seven counties to cover that amount and leave $10,000 of reserve funds.