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 poles, moving them from the median to outside shoulders. Guardrails would be replaced as well.
The I-440 project is being funded by Gov. Bill Haslam’s IMPROVE Act, the Tennessean says. The act hiked gas taxes 4 cents per gallon in July 2017, with additional 1 cent raises planned for this year and next year.
TDOT’s three-year transportation plan that includes I-440 had an initial list of 962 targeted transportation projects, with $50 million estimated for I-440 repairs.
What’s crazy about this, is that IF Nashville government were truly serious about reducing traffic congestion, they would put this project on hold temporarily. WHAT??? Yes, Nashville and TDOT should put this on hold, so that they can incorporate “best” practices, like designing the 440 highway route with the capability to add elevated lanes.
Transit expert Randal O’Toole, at the Beacon Center event, stated that for the cost of the light rail project, Nashville could DOUBLE the number of busses that it already has, with electric busses. It could buy Apple laptop computers for every student in Metro Davidson County. AND it could add 200 miles of elevated highways over it’s existing highways!
So, my point. If you really want to fix congession, don’t spend a bunch of time and money locking in the 440 loop, until you either build in the capability to add elevated lanes later, or better yet, do it now!!
Makes too much “common” sense. I think it must be mandatory that politicians and city officials lose common sense before taking office.