March 8, 2004
TDOT Announces Details of Future I-40 Widening Project
A portion of I-40 to be shifted to I-640 to speed up construction work
Nashville, Tennessee - The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) today shared for the first time detailed construction schedule and design plans for the future widening project of I-40 through downtown Knoxville.
“It will be a massive undertaking that will begin in about a year,” said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely. “We want everyone to understand that this plan is the product of a lot of very careful consideration by TDOT. It has the support of Mayor Haslam and Mayor Ragsdale. We hope the citizens of Knoxville will be rallying behind us, too, when they understand what we’re going to accomplish.”
The segment of I-40 that will be widened has three times as many accidents as any comparable section of interstate in Tennessee, according to Nicely. “That stretch of I-40 is simply too narrow. It is antiquated. It is dangerous. It averages more than 150 accidents per year. This simply must be done for the safety of everyone using this stretch of roadway…and that’s about 103,000 vehicles a day.”
The project involves extending Hall of Fame Drive from Summit Hill Drive to Broadway and widening I-40 downtown. Right-of-way property acquisition is now underway. TDOT has held dozens of meetings with the public about this project dating back to the 1980’s. Mayor Haslam has held a number of his own public meetings recently as well.
“I have met with dozens of citizens about this project and listened carefully,” said Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam. “It is important to all of us to make this segment of I-40 safer. We’re going to get it done as quickly as possible for the sake of everyone involved.”
Nicely, his staff, and a team of consultants outlined the construction schedule, one they described as thinking “outside of the box”.
“We had two choices. We could have gone the conventional route. That would have meant up to eight years of major traffic delays and lane closures through downtown Knoxville during the life of the project,” Nicely said. “Instead, we’ve opted to use a fast-fix method proven in Indianapolis to work much better. We will begin construction next spring. But later, in January of 2008, we will reroute traffic from a portion of I-40 to I-640. This will allow us to close a small section of I-40 entirely, allowing uninterrupted, around-the-clock work to proceed for about fourteen months. The goal is to shave at least two years off the project by doing this, considerably reducing the long-term impact it will have on drivers.”
TDOT Chief Engineer Bill Moore explained how the traffic shift will work. “The closure on I-40 will stretch from James White Parkway to Broadway. That’s just less than one mile in length.”
Moore said TDOT engineers are still working out the plan for traffic moving into the downtown business district during the I-40 closure. “It is very important to note that we intend to keep access to downtown as fully intact as possible.”
“We have a number of improvement projects underway on nearby roads to prepare them for the increased levels of traffic this project will bring,” Moore said.
“We considered the pros and cons of both ways of doing this project,” said Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale. “We all agreed the faster we can do this, the better, for not only the people of Knox County, but all of the people passing through this section of I-40.”
TDOT also held a public meeting Monday night with members of the Knoxville and Knox County Mayors’ Offices to outline for the first time the final design details of the overall plan.
“After listening to the suggestions of many citizens, we have made more than a dozen changes to the overall project in the areas where the interstate interfaces with the city street system,” Nicely said. “For example, after listening to the local people we have decided not to close 5th Avenue, as was originally planned.”
Nicely went on to say that the design would also include the neighborhood suggestion of running 4th Avenue adjacent to I-40 then connecting it to other city streets rather than continuing with the current configuration that takes 4th Avenue under I-40 to connect with other streets.
“We have done what we can to include as many people as possible in the planning process for this badly needed project. Now, it’s time to get this project moving,” Nicely added.
Photos of the areas involved in the project, plus renderings of how the areas would look after completion, can be viewed from the column to the left of this release. For information about the Indianapolis Hyper-fix program, go to: http://www.in.gov/dot/div/specialprojects/hyperfix/.