Big problems on I-75 southbound in Tennessee on Jellico Mountain. One lane southbound had collapsed a day or two ago and traffic was down to one lane, and today they closed the whole thing. They are detouring regular traffic on US 25W and wide-load traffic on TN 297 to TN 63. Last I heard traffic was backed up six miles into Kentucky.
Not to nitpick, but I think Jellico Mountain is actually one or two mountains over from the mountain I-75 climbs, whose name I forget. But they should probably switch the names around, because anyone who has driven that stretch of I-75 more than once would recognize it by the name Jellico Mountain much more easily than by its real name.
I once got stuck in a traffic jam in those SB lanes, and my car spewed at least a half-gallon of antifreeze on the highway...
This article (http://www.wlwt.com/traffic/30646389/detail.html#ixzz1oj8mxihb) indicates the problem area was near milepost 144.
QuoteTennessee transportation officials are closing both southbound lanes of Interstate 75 just below the Kentucky state line.
A rock slide had caused the closing of one northbound and one southbound lane on Thursday. Tennessee Department of Transportation geotechnical engineers have since determined that an earthen embankment under the highway is sliding near the Stinking Creek exit at mile marker 144.
The closure will force thousands of southbound drivers to take a 26-mile detour through LaFollette to get around the site. It is expected to affect college students heading south for spring break.
TDOT planned to close the southbound lanes at 2 p.m. on Friday. There was no estimate about when the section might reopen.
TDOT spokesman Mark Nagi told The Knoxville News Sentinel southbound traffic on I-75 should take the Jellico exit at mile marker 160 and detour to exit 141 at Caryville.
That is probably roughly near this scene
(https://www.aaroads.com/southeast/tennessee075/i-075_sb_exit_141_01.jpg)
QuoteNot to nitpick, but I think Jellico Mountain is actually one or two mountains over from the mountain I-75 climbs, whose name I forget. But they should probably switch the names around, because anyone who has driven that stretch of I-75 more than once would recognize it by the name Jellico Mountain much more easily than by its real name.
That stretch in particular is by Little Cumberland Mountain and Chestnut Ridge. The larger Pine Mountain is what I-75 travels along just to the northwest.
Yes, officially that is Pine Mountain. The same Pine Mountain that originates up near Breaks Interstate Park (Elkhorn City, KY) and runs southwest, with a water gap at Pineville where the Cumberland River cuts through it. It takes a more SSW jaunt between Pineville and Williamsburg and that is the mountain that I-75 crosses. But everyone calls it Jellico Mountain.
Tennessee is working to put two-way traffic in the northbound lanes of I-75. They're building crossovers and the plan is to put one lane of southbound traffic in the northbound lanes and maintain two lanes northbound.
^ Have they hired a contractor to repair the sinkhole, or will the same contractor that repairs the sinkhole be building and removing the crossovers?
I don't know the answer to that question. It could be that TDOT is doing the crossovers. There are already some crossovers along that stretch that are blocked off, so I don't know if they are reopening them or building new ones.
Can anyone tell me what the status of this road problem is at this time? My family and I are heading down 75 this evening and will be coming right through the area.
Heard from someone that there was a 1 hour detour, is this the case?
It looks like it is one lane in each direction around the slide: http://news.tn.gov/node/8857
^ thanks! I just heard from someone that it was taking 1-2 hours to get through at this point.