The state has delayed a road-widening project from U.S. 41 to Ga. 151 to 2018.

The project would widen the I-75 exit bridge in Ringgold, located near Ingles Super Market, to four lanes. The widening would continue past the area in which the 58-acre Ga. 151 industrial park is to be built.

Catoosa commissioners have said they hope the park will house suppliers for the Volkswagen plant set to open in Chattanooga in 2011. The board is currently finalizing its contract with California-based Panattoni Development, which will engineer the industrial park area and help draw in companies.

County manager Mike Helton said Sen. Jeff Mullis of Chickamauga is pushing for the 2018 date to be rolled back, as the project should currently be taking place. More important, Helton said, is getting the project to be a higher priority for the state.

“This will definitely have an impact on our goals for economic development,” chairman Keith Greene said during a recent county commissioners’ meeting.

A major issue with the delay of the project, Helton said, was with the slated park sitting on a two-lane highway. There is limited room when entering and exiting the area due to the high volume of traffic on Ga. 151.

“Companies will want to know how they will get their 18-wheelers in and out of the park,” Helton said. “The last thing we want is wrecks on the highway.”

The entrance to the park will be a right-hand turn off Ga. 151 and an easement to exit the park will be a right-hand turn onto Holcomb Road. This will minimize traffic interference, Helton said, but widening to four lanes would be of more benefit.

“The bottom line is the location of the park being around two miles from the interstate,” Helton said. “It will benefit the county and the state.”

Helton said regardless of when the widening project takes place, the county still plans on using the Ga. 151 property as an industrial park.

“We’ll probably have companies pushing for a commitment from the state to speed up the project,” Helton said.