Left to right: Assistant Commissioner Greta Dajani, DL District Supervisor Charles Wright, DL Director Wanda Moore (partially hidden), Interim Commissioner Gerald Nicely, Former Commissioner Fred Phillips, Colonel Mike Walker, and DL Assistant Director Lisa Knight cut the ribbon at the Washington County Grand Opening.

Nashville, Tennessee --- The Tennessee Department of Safety (TDOS) officially opened the new driver license testing station in Washington County Wednesday. Officials with the department and honored guests cut the ribbon on the new 5,000 square-foot facility located at 4717 Lake Park Drive in Johnson City earlier today. The larger, modern facility replaced the former station located on John Exum Parkway . Operating hours at the Lake Park Drive facility are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00p.m.

"Providing greater access to and better efficiency of all driver license needs remains a top priority of the department," said Interim TDOS Commissioner Gerald Nicely. "The new driver license station in Johnson City vastly improves our ability to serve the needs of our customers. In addition, we are implementing new time-saving features for renewal and duplicate customers at this location."

The demand for Department of Safety services has steadily increased in Washington County . The new center opened on January 10th and had served 10,624 customers by May 1.

The new facility offers added privacy for those taking their written or computerized knowledge tests. A new 300 square foot testing room will provide those testing with a quiet location away from the noise of the main waiting area. Additional improvements also include more parking, a larger 600 square foot waiting area with additional seating and a new CDL Test Pad for administering Pre-Trip and Basic Controls tests for those persons seeking a commercial driver license.

TDOS reminds citizens they can often avoid a trip to a driver license station by visiting the department's Online Services page at http://www.tn.gov/safety/onlineservices.shtml, where many common driver license services are available online. Online services include renewals, duplicates, reinstatements and change of address requests.

The Tennessee Department of Safety's mission is (www.tn.gov/safety) to ensure the safety and general welfare of the public. The department encompasses the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Office of Homeland Security and Driver License Services. General areas of responsibility include law enforcement, safety education, motorist services and terrorism prevention.