The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, July 14, to discuss proposed improvements to U.S. Highway 11E from Morristown to Interstate 81 in Mosheim -- including widening the heavily used road from two to four lanes.

The meeting is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. in the cafeteria of East Ridge Middle School, at 6595 St. Clair Road in Whitesburg.

The proposed improvements would extend from the intersection of 11E and U.S. Highway 25E in Morristown to exit 23 on I-81.

If built, the improvements would upgrade the road from two lanes to four, TDOT Public Information Officer Julie Oaks said Wednesday.

Three alternative routes in the vicinity of Bulls Gap will be presented, two of which extend a short distance into Greene County, as shown on a map that was published along with the legal notice in the June 12 issue of The Greeneville Sun.

The purpose of the meeting, according to a TDOT legal notice, is to allow the public to provide input on the approved environmental assessment document, prior to completion of the final document.

A brief presentation will be followed by a question and answer period.

TDOT representatives will be present to answer questions about the general location of the alternatives, and the tentative schedule for right-of-way acquisition and construction, according to the notice.

In addition to the three routes proposed for construction, a fourth alternative would be to leave the highway as it is, according to the notice. This is called the "no build" alternative.

Copies of the environmental assessment document are available in the office of the mayor of Bulls Gap at 139 S. Main St., at the Morristown Public Library at 417 W. Main St., and at the TDOT design office at 7345 Region Lane in Knoxville.