Broadway On-Ramp to I-40 West Closed this Weekend

Knoxville, Tenn.-The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) announced today that the Broadway entrance to I-40 west will close this weekend for the installation of a new sewer line. The closure will begin at 9 p.m. Friday, July 29 and end at 6 a.m. Monday, August 1.

"The work will consist of installing a new sewer line directly below the ramp, and connecting it to an existing line. The closure is necessary because we have to cut up sections of the ramp and dig a hole to the existing sewer line in order to attach the new line properly," said Jeff Walker, Spokesperson for Ray Bell Construction.

TDOT estimates that 20,000 vehicles use the entrance ramp each day. TDOT and Ray Bell Construction have scheduled work during low volume travel hours to reduce traffic delays and minimize inconveniences to motorists.

A detour will direct travelers using southbound Broadway to Western Avenue where they can access I-40 West. Message boards have also been placed on Broadway alerting drivers of the closure.

SmartFIX40 is an accelerated construction process used by the department to speed up construction. It involves closing the primary roadway at a designated project to allow around-the-clock work that is uninterrupted by traffic in order to dramatically reduce the time it takes to complete the project, thereby reducing the long-term inconveniences to drivers.

In the SmartFIX40 project, James White Parkway will be closed for nine months in 2007, and I-40 through traffic will be rerouted onto I-640 for 14 months starting in the spring of 2008. Local traffic will have access to downtown at all times. Over two years of traffic delays, lane closures and motorist frustrations will be avoided by allowing construction crews the opportunity to work without restriction from moving traffic while traffic is rerouted from I-40. I-40 through downtown Knoxville carries an average of 103,000 vehicles a day.

The SmartFIX40 project consists of two contracts. Both include the largest incentives and penalties involved in the history of the department and commit the contractor to a "no-excuses" deadline. The first contract was awarded to Ray Bell Construction Company last spring and includes the construction of Hall of Fame Drive and the re-construction of James White Parkway. The second contract will be awarded in 2006 and will include the widening of I-40.

Additional information and before-and-after computer renderings of SmartFIX40 can be obtained by going to www.smartfix40.com. A hotline has also been set up at 329-GO-40 or 329-4640. Traffic information and camera images are available from TDOT's SmartWay system which can be found at www.tennessee.gov/tdot