Is there any reason why there is only one lane for 40 west headed towards Knoxville at the 81 jct?
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There isn't.
I-40's two WB lanes continue all the way through. I-81's right lane is dropped shortly after the merge of the two interstates heading for Knoxville, with the left lane becoming the 3rd lane on I-40 WB.
Actually, GE overhead (dated 11/26/17) shows this bridge as being under rehabilitation, reducing the thru lanes to 1. Maybe the hole in the bridge deck visible in Streetview contributed to the need for this project. So the answer is probably "construction".
I remember this interchange having only one lane for through I-40 traffic in each direction back in the late '60s-early '70s.
I also remember when the southern I-64/I-75 interchange in Lexington had only one lane for each movement. Traffic would back up for miles, especially on I-75 in both directions, around major holidays. They fixed that beginning in 1980. You probably remember that setup as well.
I do remember that now that you mention it.
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Quote from: davewiecking on May 23, 2018, 07:56:04 PM
Actually, GE overhead (dated 11/26/17) shows this bridge as being under rehabilitation, reducing the thru lanes to 1. Maybe the hole in the bridge deck visible in Streetview contributed to the need for this project. So the answer is probably "construction".
Yeah, and it was a cluster getting on 81, with one of the lanes shut down right after the split. At least it's been fixed since (I think since early-mid March).
Quote from: Mapmikey on May 23, 2018, 07:45:18 PM
There isn't.
I-40's two WB lanes continue all the way through. I-81's right lane is dropped shortly after the merge of the two interstates heading for Knoxville, with the left lane becoming the 3rd lane on I-40 WB.
It is now looking like the change is permanent, as both lanes of I-81 now continue as through lanes of I-40 west and the signs indicating the end of the right most lane have been removed. I-40 westbound now comes over the bridge as one lane to become the leftmost lane of the merged roadway.
Maybe TnDoT did a traffic count and found that I-81 is carrying more traffic. Lord knows I-81 is covered up in trucks.
I'd like to see how they signed it on 40 westbound.
Quote from: Tom958 on July 02, 2018, 04:47:46 PM
I'd like to see how they signed it on 40 westbound.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ve32FvGDokKQgYs7A
https://photos.app.goo.gl/6d25AvEpYZnhPuTH9
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^^^Thanks, Chris!
Quote from: bigdave on July 02, 2018, 09:07:17 AM
It is now looking like the change is permanent, as both lanes of I-81 now continue as through lanes of I-40 west and the signs indicating the end of the right most lane have been removed. I-40 westbound now comes over the bridge as one lane to become the leftmost lane of the merged roadway.
Maybe TnDoT did a traffic count and found that I-81 is carrying more traffic. Lord knows I-81 is covered up in trucks.
Or it worked better during the detour than it did before construction! :clap:
Does the right lane on I-40 WB still become exit-only to I-81 NB, or is there two lanes again but merging to one before I-81 comes in?
Quote from: Roadsguy on July 02, 2018, 10:35:26 PM
Does the right lane on I-40 WB still become exit-only to I-81 NB, or is there two lanes again but merging to one before I-81 comes in?
The right lane of 40 becomes 81 NB.
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Had to do a double-take the other day, as there was no merge point for 81 onto 40W, and I looked back to see only one lane on the bridge right before the merge. Makes it less awkward to be riding that left lane for the last half(?) mile while other cars move in before you lost the right lane.
Quote from: milbfan on July 06, 2018, 05:57:41 PM
Had to do a double-take the other day, as there was no merge point for 81 onto 40W, and I looked back to see only one lane on the bridge right before the merge.
Ha! Years ago while that stretch of I-40 was still two lanes, I-81S merged into one lane going towards I-40W (like it did until recently) and then that one lane got merged into the two through lanes of I-40W. You really had to be on the ball. I was driving towards Knoxville and I-40W was closed in North Carolina due to a rockslide or something like that. My I-81 lane got to the merge point with I-40W - I looked over my shoulder and did a double-take as there were (of course) no cars at all. It was a completely empty road. Made the merge easy, though. :bigass:
Quote from: bigdave on July 11, 2018, 11:48:49 AM
Quote from: milbfan on July 06, 2018, 05:57:41 PM
Had to do a double-take the other day, as there was no merge point for 81 onto 40W, and I looked back to see only one lane on the bridge right before the merge.
Ha! Years ago while that stretch of I-40 was still two lanes, I-81S merged into one lane going towards I-40W (like it did until recently) and then that one lane got merged into the two through lanes of I-40W. You really had to be on the ball. I was driving towards Knoxville and I-40W was closed in North Carolina due to a rockslide or something like that. My I-81 lane got to the merge point with I-40W - I looked over my shoulder and did a double-take as there were (of course) no cars at all. It was a completely empty road. Made the merge easy, though. :bigass:
I believe the 40/81 junction was originally constructed in the early-mid 60's, when TDOT never gave any thought to the fact that traffic from 81 southbound would naturally flow into 40 west and that 40 may possibly have needed more capacity. When 40 was finally constructed from the outskirts of Knoxville to Dandridge in the mid-late 70's it originally had 3 lanes each direction, which was truly forward thinking, but a bottleneck eventually formed on the four-lane stretch between the US 70/25W Dandridge exit and the 81 junction. This early stretch was finally widened to six lanes in the mid-late 90's.
Drove though that stretch this past weekend. The one-lane for I-40 westbound traffic at I-81 interchange was crazy. Every vehicle moved to a single lane, causing backups at that time. Should have left it at two lanes and then have both I-40W/I-81 S lanes merge into 4 lanes, with a exit only down at exit 417. There is plenty of room to widen the road.