GAY STREET AT MAGNOLIA AVENUE CLOSING UNTIL FALL
Work Marks Beginning of Contract Two in SmartFIX40 Project

Knoxville, Tenn.—The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) announced today that work on the second contract of the SmartFIX40 project is underway. This $104.6 million contract includes widening I-40, reconfiguring the Broadway interchange at the interstate and making improvements to the James White Parkway interchange.

The second contract was awarded in March as a joint venture between Ray Bell Construction Company and Charles Blalock and Sons, Inc. The initial work will include closing Gay Street at Magnolia Avenue and westbound Magnolia Avenue between Central Street and Broadway on Monday, May 22, 2006 at 9 a.m. The widening of I-40 makes this work necessary because it requires elevation changes.

“During the closure Gay Street will be lowered three feet to accommodate clearance requirements for the overhead interstate bridges,” said Ray Bell Construction spokesperson Jeff Walker.

A detour will direct motorists from Magnolia Avenue to Central Street to East Fifth Avenue to Broadway.

The largest incentives and penalties in the history of TDOT are included in this contract. It also commits the contractor to a “no-excuses” deadline. If the contractor meets the deadline of June 30, 2009 a bonus of $7 million will be earned. If that date is not met, $25,000 a day will be subtracted from the final payment to the contractor for each day worked past the deadline.

“As we move forward on SmartFIX40, we will continue to work closely with the City of Knoxville as well as citizens and businesses to see that everyone is well informed about changes occurring on the project. We hope this minimizes the burden this mammoth project will have on the city,” said TDOT chief engineer Paul Degges.

The first contract is now 51% complete and 10% ahead of schedule. The newly constructed Hall of Fame Drive as well as the Glenwood Avenue and Summit Hill Bridges will open in December of this year. When Hall of Fame Drive opens, James White Parkway will close for reconstruction. The deadline to complete James White Parkway is September 30, 2007.

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.