Three Closures To Take Place On SmartFix40 Project

Knoxville, Tenn.—The Tennessee Department of Transportation announced Friday that as part of the SmartFIX40 project there will be three simultaneous closures beginning at 7 a.m. Sunday, September 10, 2006. The temporary closures include:

• North Sixth Avenue at the intersection of Hall of Fame Drive (currently North Fifth Avenue)
• East Fifth Avenue from Hall of Fame Drive (currently North Fifth Avenue) to Jessamine Street
• North Fifth Avenue ramp to Broadway (I-40 eastbound traffic exiting to Broadway will not be affected)

“Once southbound Hall of Fame Drive (North Fifth Avenue) to Magnolia Avenue is paved and open to traffic on the morning of September 10th we will start the work on the northbound side of Hall of Fame Drive (North Fifth Avenue),” said spokesperson for Ray Bell Construction Jeff Walker. “We will also reopen East Fifth Avenue to the west at this time.”

North Sixth Avenue will close for one week, September 10 – 17, to connect it to the new Hall of Fame Drive. Intermittent closures will take place during the following two weeks, September 17 – October 1, as construction crews complete the work in this intersection. The signed detour for this closure will direct motorists to Washington Avenue to Winona Street then on to Magnolia Avenue.

The East Fifth Avenue closure at the railroad underpass will last approximately one week while East Fifth Avenue is connected to the new Hall of Fame Drive. The signed detour will be Jessamine Street to Magnolia Avenue.

The North Fifth Avenue ramp to Broadway will reopen December 1, 2006 when the new Hall of Fame Drive (currently North Fifth Avenue) is connected to Broadway and I-40.

SmartFIX40 is an accelerated construction process used by the department to speed up construction. It involves completely closing the roadway 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.

During 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. More than 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.