Hilltop Drive extension no longer being pursued

Hilltop Drive in Ooltewah.

OOLTEWAH, Tenn. (WDEF)- Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp’s office plans to divert money from a planned Ooltewah road project.

This would have paralleled I-75 between Hunter Road and Volkswagen Drive, and was designed to alleviate traffic in that area along with opening up potential development along the road.

The Hamilton County Commission had approved the project unanimously in 2024.

Mayor Wamp’s press secretary Haley Burton sent News 12 the following statement:

“Due to clear public feedback, we are working on a proposal to reallocate funds from the Hilltop Drive extension design to other infrastructure projects. We will be bringing options to the County Commission in the coming weeks.”

There had been public opposition to that extension due to the potential impact on Enterprise South Nature Park, as the advocacy group Save ESNP told us last week.