The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) announced Monday that Memorial Day travelers would not be delayed by construction on Tennessee roads during this year’s holiday.
Road construction won't delay motorists on Tennessee's highways this Memorial Day weekend. We're suspending all construction-related lane closures on interstates & state routes from noon on Friday, May 26, to 6:00 am on Tuesday, May 30.https://t.co/5RbscHDLGy
— myTDOT (@myTDOT) May 22, 2023
In a press release, TDOT announced that the department will suspend all construction-related lane closures on interstates and state routes to “provide maximum roadway capacity for motorists expected to travel in the state this Memorial Day weekend.”
All construction-related lane closures in the state will be stopped from noon on Friday through 6 a.m. next Tuesday, according to TDOT.
“Suspending construction-related lane closures during the Memorial Day weekend will lessen congestion and delays on Tennessee’s major highways,” TDOT Commissioner Butch Eley said in a statement. “We want to do our part to help everyone have an enjoyable and safe holiday weekend and keep traffic flowing as smoothly and efficiently as possible.”
TDOT notes that, despite the active construction halt, motorists may still encounter lane closures or restrictions while traveling through long-term construction projects on Tennessee roadways. In this case, drivers are instructed to obey the posted speeds in work zones and drive safely.
Speeding in work zones with workers present can result in a fine of up to $500, plus court fees and higher insurance rates, TDOT notes.
TDOT’s construction halt comes as the American Automobile Association (AAA) predicts that 882,000 Tennesseans will journey 50 miles or more during Memorial Day weekend, an increase of 53,000 people from last year’s holiday and 13,000 more than before the pandemic in 2019.
“Memorial Day weekend is the kickoff to what promises to be a very busy summer travel season,” Debbie Haas, Vice President of Travel for AAA – The Auto Club Group, said in a statement. “Despite various inflationary pressures, consumer spending is strong, and Americans still want to travel. Because of that, we’ve seen demand come roaring back, beyond pre-pandemic levels in Tennessee.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Tennessee Highway” by Jimmy Emerson, DVM. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
