The beginning of spring brings with it the beginning of the road construction season in Tennessee.
“Many of our roadways are now more than 50 years old, which means now it’s even more important to ensure we are maintaining our existing infrastructure,” said Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) Commissioner Gerald Nicely. “This year, we are again working to minimize the impact of this work on motorists. Most of TDOT’s interstate resurfacing work will be conducted at night and any construction work that requires lane closures will be conducted during off-peak travel hours and on weekends.”
TDOT also will halt any lane closure activity for major travel holidays, such as Memorial Day and Independence Day.
Some of the new construction and resurfacing projects being conducted by TDOT this season are listed below by region.
Region One
• SmartFIX 40: The reconstruction of James White Parkway is now under way. Traffic between I-40 and downtown Knoxville is currently detoured to Hall of Fame Drive while James White Parkway is rebuilt. The project has a no-excuse end date of Sept. 30 and the contractor is currently on schedule.
This work is in preparation for the major closure of I-40 in May 2008. I-40 will be closed completely through downtown Knoxville for 14 months and traffic will be rerouted onto I-640 and I-275. The closure will be complete by June 30, 2009.
• I-275, I-640: In preparation for the closure of I-40 through downtown Knoxville in 2008, an additional lane is being added on I-640 between Clinton Highway and the railroad overpass. On I-275, the outdated cloverleaf interchanges are being replaced with diamond style interchanges to improve safety and efficiency on I-275.
• Broadway Bridge Repair at Tazewell Pike: Bridge repair work at the intersection of Tazewell Pike is under way. The project involves lane reductions and the estimated completion is May.
Resurfacing projects:
• Sevier County: I-40 from the Knox County line to the Jefferson County line. Work will be performed at night. Completion date is October.
• Sevier County: U.S. 441 (SR71) from Little Pigeon River to South Boulevard Way and from Little Pigeon River to the Jefferson County line. Completion date is August 2007.
• Cocke County: I-40 from the Jefferson County line to State Route 32. Work will be performed at night.
• Cocke County: U.S. 11E (SR34) from west of State Route 92 to the Hamblen County line. Completion date is October.
Region Two
• Shallowford Road: Widening of Shallowford Road from west of Mark Lane to west of Center Street. Estimated completion early 2008.
• Ashland Terrace: Widening of Ashland Terrace from Knollwood Drive to west of Norcross Road. Estimated completion early 2009.
• I-75: Update to Fog Warning System along I-75 between Cleveland and Athens, TN (mile marker 24 to near mile marker 42). Estimated completion November 2007.
Resurfacing Projects:
• Bradley County: Resurfacing I-75 from north of Bancroft Road (mile marker 18.57) to east of SR60 (mile marker 25.37). All lane closures will be done at night. Estimated completion August.
• Bradley County: Resurfacing I-75 from south of the McMinn County Line to north of SR 308. Work will be performed at night.
• Cumberland County: Resurfacing I-40 from east of SR 1 to Ozone Bridges. Work will be performed at night.
Region Three
• I-440: Repairs to various sections of concrete. Estimated completion June.
• Lebanon Road Bridge construction: Construction of a new bridge over the Stones River on Lebanon Road. The new bridge is being built between the existing bridge structures to minimize the traffic impact. Estimated completion is end of 2008.
• Phase Two Intelligent Transportation System Installation: Addition of traffic cameras and overhead dynamic message boards along I-440 and portions of I-65, I-24 and I-40. Estimated completion is July.
• I-24: Widening from SR 96 to SR 10 (U.S. 231). Estimated completion June 2008.
• I-65 at McEwen Drive: Construction of a new interchange on I-65 at McEwen Drive. Estimated completion December 2007.
• I-40 at Beckwith Road: Construction of a new interchange on I-40 at Beckwith Road. Estimated completion December 2007.
Resurfacing Projects:
• Davidson County: Resurfacing on I-65 and portions of I-40, I-24 and I-440 on the northern section of the downtown loop. Work will be performed at night. Estimated completion August.
• Robertson County: Resurfacing on I-65 between Honey Run Creek and mile marker 121. Work will be performed at night. Estimated completion November.
• Williamson County: Resurfacing I-65 from Moore’s Lane to the Davidson County line.
• Dickson County: Resurfacing I-40 from the Buffalo River Bridge to the Hickman County line.
Region Four
• I-240 at Walnut Grove: Grade, drain, pave, five bridges, seven retaining walls at Walnut Grove Interchange. Estimated completion December 2008.
• I-40/Mississippi River at Tennessee/Arkansas state line: Seismic retrofit (Phase 6) of the River Bridge. Estimated completion December 2008.
• U.S. Highway 72/State Route 86: Widening to divided 4-lane highway from Mississippi State Line to Quinn Road. Estimated completion November 2007.
• U.S. Highway 64/State Route 15 in McNairy County: Widening to divided four-lane highway from Sandy Flat Road to U.S. 45 in Selmer. Estimated completion fall 2007.
• U.S. Highway 45/SR-5/SR-186 Intersections Improvements at U.S. 70/SR-1 in Jackson/Madison County: Including widening of bridge over Sandy Creek. Estimated completion September 2007.
• State Route 14 widening in Tipton County: From the Shelby County Line to Sadler School Road. Estimated completion September 2008.
Resurfacing Projects:
• Henderson County: Resurfacing on I-40 from SR-22 (mile marker 108) to Morris Creek (mile marker 115). Night-time project. Estimated completion July 2007.
• Gibson County: Resurfacing on SR 54 from the Crockett County Line to U.S. 45W/SR-5. Estimated completion July 2007.
• Carroll County: Resurfacing on SR 22 from Clarksburg to Huntingdon.
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