Photo: Joel W. Solomon Federal Building
Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (TN-R) has asked the Senate Appropriations Committee to commit $189.1 Million towards the construction of a new federal courthouse in Chattanooga.
The current standing Joel W. Solomon Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse was constructed in Chattanooga 87 years ago, according to News Channel 9.
Chattanoogan.com reports that “judges have cited security and access concerns about the current courthouse on Georgia Avenue”.
Sen. Alexander said that building a new courthouse will be “”the only solution to address the significant operation, space, and security deficiencies that exist at the current federal courthouse in Chattanooga.”
The financial appropriation from Congress has apparently been in the works for over two decades.
“This bill, at my request, provides $189.1 million to build a badly needed new courthouse in the largest and busiest judicial district in Tennessee. Construction for this new courthouse has been through a rigorous justification and prioritization process for 21 years,” said Sen. Alexander.
The $189.1 million will be included on the Senate’s Fiscal Year 2012 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill to be voted on by the Senate and House of Representatives.
Sen. Alexander noted that the appropriation bill is within the spending limits required by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019, which was approved by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump.
No information is available on where in Chattanooga the new federal courthouse will be built or what will happen to the current 87-year-old courthouse building.
