Tag: road work

Federal Emergency Relief Funds Made Available to Offset Repair Costs on Roads in Cherokee National Forest

Kaitlin Housler

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recently announced the immediate availability of $4.65 million in emergency relief funds to offset the costs of repairing road damage in the Cherokee National Forest due to flooding last month.

“These emergency funds will help restore vital transportation links in the Cherokee National Forest that were damaged by last month’s floods,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “Transportation is an essential part of disaster recovery, and these funds will help clear debris and reconstruct pavement so that emergency vehicles can access the area, and residents can access their homes.”

Read the full story

I-75 in Hamilton County Set to Be Reduced Down to Two Lanes for One Month Beginning August 1st

Kaitlin Housler
I-75 to Chattanooga

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) announced that beginning Monday, August 1st at 9:00 p.m. ET, I-75 in Hamilton County will be reduced to two lanes in each direction for one month from mile marker 7 (near the Bonny Oaks Drive exit) to mile marker 10 (between the Volkswagen Drive exit and the Ooltewah exit). The lane closures come as the interstate is undergoing repair for damaged concrete slabs, bridge repairs, and new pavement markings.

Read the full story

TDOT Considers Total Closure of Interstate 440 For Reconstruction

Jason M. Reynolds
Highway 440, Nashville

TDOT is planning to overhaul Interstate 440 in Nashville, with options ranging from closing segments at a time all the way to completely closing the roadway for 10 months. The Tennessee Department of Transportation laid the options out at a public information meeting on Tuesday. WKRN reports the department is considering three closures, each focusing on two areas of the road: east, from Interstate 24 to Interstate 65, and west, from I-65 to Interstate 40. One option is temporary lane closures in both directions lasting 36 months. The second option, WKRN says, would be to completely close I-440 east then west for 10 months to get the project done in a faster time. Or, a third approach would combine the first two options and take up to 22 months. TDOT says it is using the Design-Build method to deliver the I-440 Reconstruction Project. Four Design-Build teams are preparing proposals that will include final design of the project, plans for how it will be constructed and a bid amount. TDOT has provided the teams with the three construction options. The Design-Build teams will submit their final proposals later this month, the department says. TDOT hopes to award the I-440 Reconstruction Project contract…

Read the full story

Planning Continues for Rebuilding Interstate 440 in Nashville

Jason M. Reynolds
traffic jam

Planning is underway for a major overhaul of Interstate 440 in Davidson County, a project that is expected to take three years. The Tennessee Department of Transportation began requesting bids in January for what is called “Design-Build,” sort of a streamlined turn-key project. Contractors bid for the project, which involves the design and construction of large projects. For roadways, that can include design, right-of-way acquisition, regulatory permit approvals, utility relocation, and construction. “This is not going to be a typical low-bid project,” said Kathryn Schulte, TDOT community relations officer for Region 3 (part of Middle Tennessee). “Proposals/plans are currently being developed by the competing design-build teams.” The winning contract will be announced in the summer of 2018, according to TDOT’s timeline. The timeline does not say when work would begin. The plan calls for “removing substandard pavement and widening portions of the 7.6-mile corridor to provide three travel lanes in each direction” between Interstate 40 and Interstate 24. The project is intended to address congestion and improve safety.” The design calls for replacement of deteriorated concrete pavement with asphalt and removal of the grassy elevated median. Other components include ramp widening, construction of new noise walls and replacement of light…

Read the full story