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[Brian556]

Article came out today in the Chattanoogan, saying improvements to I-24 at Moccasin Bend could begin next year. Article also has a nice historic photo of the Tennessee River being shifted over so that I-24 could be constructed.

[US 89]

I hope those improvements include another lane in each direction. I have gone through that area several times and never has there not been some sort of congestion.

[Georgia]

That article also says both phases(dividing line is Browns Ferry Rd) are just now in preliminary engineering phase so I would be interested to see when in '24 this project would begin.  It is widening 24 from TN/GA State line to US 27.

https://www.chattanoogan.com/2023/1/17/462540/Widening-Of-I-24-Around-Moccasin-Bend.aspx

[wriddle082]

I want to say the median in the Mocassin Bend stretch is just wide enough to accommodate at least one extra lane in each direction, but it’s hard to tell because the carriageway elevations are offset, with the westbound lanes next to the river being a few feet lower than the eastbound lanes.  So there will definitely be a tall retaining wall on the left shoulder of the westbound lanes, and the right shoulder may very well have a retaining wall in the river.

[froggie]

^ I want to say we had a thread discussing this recently.  Preliminary plans are online and I recall looking at them.  The plan is to squeeze between the existing lanes and the railroad...there isn't enough room in the median so the widening will extend some towards the railroad.  IIRC they are not going to extend any widening on the river side.

[Georgia]

Drove on that section of 24 each of the last 2 days; I think retaining walls/medians between the east and westbound lanes will be critical, also that the sides are going to have be kept at differing heights. 
 
there is a little bit of room on the eastbound side before you run into the railroad fence but most of it will come from the westbound lanes side I guess. 

[milbfan]

If money, time, and logistics weren't major issues (lol), I would say turn that part of I-24 (at least near Browns Ferry to downtown) into a double-decker, with however many lanes to accommodate each direction.  EB would take top or bottom, with WB taking the other.

But like I said, logistics, mainly anyone coming from Nashville, going SE to Nooga/ATL/75 South would make this approach problematic.

[sprjus4]

^ Will the widening include I-24 north of I-59 in the Georgia portion?

Dropping from 3 to 2 lanes before that split would seem quite problematic with traffic. Does Georgia intend to widen their small portion to allow the lane split to properly make it to I-59?

[Great Lakes Roads]

^ Will the widening include I-24 north of I-59 in the Georgia portion?

Dropping from 3 to 2 lanes before that split would seem quite problematic with traffic. Does Georgia intend to widen their small portion to allow the lane split to properly make it to I-59?

Yes, and that portion of the widening project is owned by GDOT since TDOT isn't involved in that stretch...

[wriddle082]

^ Will the widening include I-24 north of I-59 in the Georgia portion?

Dropping from 3 to 2 lanes before that split would seem quite problematic with traffic. Does Georgia intend to widen their small portion to allow the lane split to properly make it to I-59?

Yes, and that portion of the widening project is owned by GDOT since TDOT isn't involved in that stretch...

I’m sure GDOT will coordinate with TDOT to ensure the widening of each states’ sections occurs simultaneously.  GDOT is currently working with SCDOT to widen I-20 from GA Exit 200 to SC Exit 1, including a brand new Savannah River crossing.

[Tom958]

IMO, a case could've been made for building the Moccasin Bend stretch as six lanes initially, given the difficulty of widening it under traffic. had that been done, the rest of the six laning to I-59 would likely have been done in the nineties.

I want to say the median in the Mocassin Bend stretch is just wide enough to accommodate at least one extra lane in each direction, but it’s hard to tell because the carriageway elevations are offset, with the westbound lanes next to the river being a few feet lower than the eastbound lanes.  So there will definitely be a tall retaining wall on the left shoulder of the westbound lanes, and the right shoulder may very well have a retaining wall in the river.

Google Maps shows that the median is about 38 feet, which is nominally enough for two more lanes, though with a substandard left shoulder width.

^ I want to say we had a thread discussing this recently.  Preliminary plans are online and I recall looking at them.  The plan is to squeeze between the existing lanes and the railroad...there isn't enough room in the median so the widening will extend some towards the railroad.  IIRC they are not going to extend any widening on the river side

I'd say add an eastbound lane on the railroad side and a westbound lane in the median, with full-width left shoulders in each direction. 

I'm gonna try to find those plans now.

[froggie]

I'm gonna try to find those plans now.

Ask and ye shall receive...

[Tom958]

I'm gonna try to find those plans now.

Ask and ye shall receive...

Thanks! I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Georgia portions are included, too.

Not that it was a particularly brilliant deduction, but it appears that I was right: through Mocassin Bend, a third westbound lane and two twelve-foot left shoulders will replace the median, and the third eastbound lane and its right shoulder will be added to the south, away from the river. As you said, there'll be no further widening into the river. Oddly, though, the only cross sections I see are for the less-interesting sections to the west, with both of the added lanes in the median. 

[sprjus4]

From those plans, here is the bend portion of the widening.

The remainder not pictured to the west is standard median widening with full left shoulders, extending into Georgia to I-59.