Media Advisory - Bledsoe Prison Groundbreaking Ceremony

PIKEVILLE - The Tennessee Department of Correction will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the new state-of-the-art Bledsoe County Correctional Complex.  The prison expansion project was first announced in 2004 based on population projections which indicated the need for additional beds.

The new facility will have the capacity to house more than 1,444 inmates and create approximately 500 new jobs for Bledsoe and surrounding counties.

"I want to thank Governor Phil Bredesen, members of the General Assembly, and the State Building Commission members for supporting a project that will bring jobs to the area and will enhance public safety for all Tennesseans," said Commissioner Gayle Ray.

Construction is expected to be completed in 2013.