Tennessee

[I-55]

I-65 widening between TN 25 and TN 109 has completed

https://www.tn.gov/content/tn/tdot/news/2024/9/19/robertson-county-i-65-widening-project-completed-months-ahead-of-schedule.html

Robertson County I-65 Widening Project Completed Months Ahead of Schedule
Thursday, September 19, 2024 | 04:58pm
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) opened two new lanes on Interstate 65 in Robertson County seven months ahead of schedule.

With an original completion date of April 2025, crews opened two new lanes on I-65 in each direction this month thanks to hard work by contractor Jones Bros Construction. Along with the additional lanes from State Route 109 to State Route 25, other improvements include 10 new or widened bridges, four overpass replacements, 17 retaining walls, 11 new SmartWay cameras, and the repurposing of an abandoned northbound weigh station into a truck parking area. An updated southbound weigh station is currently in construction with new scales, a truck inspection station, and 36 additional parking spaces.

The next phase of I-65 improvements is slated to begin construction in the summer of 2025. When complete, motorists will enjoy an additional lane in each direction from Rivergate Parkway to State Route 41 in Sumner County. Improvements include the construction of eight retaining walls, upgrades to TDOT's SmartWay system, the replacement of four bridges, and the creation of a Diverging Diamond Interchange at US 31-W.

To celebrate the early completion of the project, TDOT held a ribbon-cutting ceremony this morning. TDOT leadership, House Majority Leader William Lamberth, Robertson County Mayor Billy Vogle, Sumner County Mayor John Isbell, and other state and local officials were in attendance.

For a link to download photos and video, visit https://bit.ly/47w0t4g.

[74/171FAN]

I noticed this signage while at a temporary signal on US 70N recently.  I saw it elsewhere so it seems to be a TN thing.  (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10221149269641856&set=a.10221149484207220)



And then on TN 249 south of Ashland City.



Also some Ashland City, TN, photos worth sharing while I am here (https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBKU38).

[epzik8]

The Weather Channel is not sugarcoating anything regarding the I-26 destruction from Helene.

[The Ghostbuster]

There are flood alerts on Google Maps in both Tennessee and North Carolina like this one: https://www.google.com/maps/@35.9558524,-83.1521064,10924m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTAwMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D; and this one: https://www.google.com/maps/@35.5458038,-82.6883315,43921m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTAwMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D. Google Maps has been known to pinpoint locations where natural disasters have occurred or are currently occurring. One other such example is when fires are raging within the continent of North America. They probably do this worldwide, although I haven't looked for any overseas.

[OracleUsr]

Thanks for the heads up ^^^^

https://goo.gl/maps/NHvJBZHkAxqhDZ8G7

https://goo.gl/maps/NXo7muAeErsrbF3G9

This here is awful. No mention of US 76 on the guide for Exit 1 on I-75.

I started going through Chattanooga in 1990 (I worked in Atlanta and sometimes met my parents in Knoxville) and I don't remember 76 ever being signed at the East Ridge interchange.  I had always assumed 76 ended at the state line as a result.

[OracleUsr]

I know back in the 1980s, downtown I-75 in Knoxville was redesignated as I-275 and then I-75 was rerouted to merge with I-640 on the west side until they both intersected with I-40.  Problem is for drivers going north on I-75, they have only *one* lane on the north split flyover ramp at the I-640/I-275/I-75 interchange. 

I personally think they should widen the I-75 NB flyover ramp to 2 lanes since it is part of the interstate now.  Either that or go back to the original designation of I-75 going straight downtown. Not really sure what the benefit was of that redesignation in the first place.

Thoughts?

The I-640 route is two miles shorter than the I-275 route, as well as removing through traffic from downtown.

I think that ramp should be two lanes, too. I was preparing to say that a more elaborate arrangement would be required for the weaving section on I-75 between the end of the ramp and the Merchant Drive exit, but maybe not, at least not right off. the ramp from westbound I-640 would have to merge into the newly-two-lane ramp rather than adding a lane of its own as it does now.

In an ideal world, there'd be an unTOTSO interchange with I-75 having its own curving mainline through the interchange, like this. That'll never happen, though.

The rerouting occurred when that particular stretch of 640 west of 75 opened in the very early 80's.  The 40/275 interchange was rebuilt from an ancient substandard cloverleaf to the current directional T plus extra ramps configuration in preparation for the 1982 World's Fair (which was the last time Knoxville was ever relevant for anything aside from UT winning the 1998 NCAA football championship).  However a couple of the flyovers leading to/from Henley St. weren't completed until the 90's, and were Evil Knieval ramps throughout the 80's.

I almost had my first wreck at that interchange, 1989, getting from 275 to I-40E. 

I remember 75 on that original route.  The present routing is far better.

[rickmastfan67]

Well, progress at getting 'some' of I-40 reopened, at least on the TN side.

The damaged TN segment between exits 447 & 451 is being converted to 2-way, and will reopen sometime next week.

[rickmastfan67]

I-40 is now officially reopened between exits 447 & 451 for 'local traffic only' with 1 lane each direction on the WB side of the highway.

[rickmastfan67]

I-26 update:

Great news for I-26 drivers.  TDOT looks like they'll be re-opening I-26 to thru traffic by Thanksgiving where the bridges got damaged.

They've re-stabilized the WB(NB) bridge and filled in the gap that was left after all the flooding.

Will re-open it with 1 lane in each direction when they do this.  This will make the I-40 detour a lot shorter, and also help with the area's recovery a lot having this main highway back open!

[rickmastfan67]

I-26 is BACK OPEN!

[CtrlAltDel]

Here are the current details for the roads in the area:

[CtrlAltDel]

I-26 update:

Great news for I-26 drivers.  TDOT looks like they'll be re-opening I-26 to thru traffic by Thanksgiving where the bridges got damaged.

They've re-stabilized the WB(NB) bridge and filled in the gap that was left after all the flooding.

Will re-open it with 1 lane in each direction when they do this.  This will make the I-40 detour a lot shorter, and also help with the area's recovery a lot having this main highway back open!

From the I-26 thread:

Here's a picture of how they did it:


Presumably, the bridge in the other direction will be replaced, and then this temporary causeway will be replaced as well.

[Ted$8roadFan]

I-26 is BACK OPEN!

Good to hear.

[Plutonic Panda]

TDOT is asking for more money to the tune of $300 million but that doesn't seem anywhere near like enough:

https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/tennessee-dot-wants-308m-in-funding-to-deal-with-backlog-of-projects-amid-flat-revenues/66598

[ElishaGOtis]

HB 1055 - New Tennessee bill to raise default freeway speed limit to 75, minimum left-lane speed to 60, and prohibit violations for speeds between 60 and 80 on the specified highways.

https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=HB1055

[TBKS1]

I straight up never posted this and I thought I did, but back in mid-February, I drove by the brand new Somerville Bypass or TN 460. This must have been signed extremely recently, as the route isn't even visible on Google Maps or OSM yet.

https://www.tn.gov/tdot/projects/region-4/state-route-460-us-64-somerville-beltway.html

[VetteDriver16]

I-40 is now officially reopened between exits 447 & 451 for 'local traffic only' with 1 lane each direction on the WB side of the highway.

Drove eastbound through this area from Knoxville yesterday.  Here's what I can report:

Traffic was relatively light and moved along a little bit more than the posted speed limit.


It was my understand that trucks were not allowed.  However, the truck traffic on a late Saturday afternoon seemed normal.


Work crews are still clearing debris. It will be months before actual rebuilding of the road to begin.

My ask is that anyone who can avoid this stretch of I-40 do so.  This will allow works crews and equipment to better access the highway.

[wriddle082]

I-40 is now officially reopened between exits 447 & 451 for 'local traffic only' with 1 lane each direction on the WB side of the highway.

Drove eastbound through this area from Knoxville yesterday.  Here's what I can report:

Traffic was relatively light and moved along a little bit more than the posted speed limit.


It was my understand that trucks were not allowed.  However, the truck traffic on a late Saturday afternoon seemed normal.


Work crews are still clearing debris. It will be months before actual rebuilding of the road to begin.

My ask is that anyone who can avoid this stretch of I-40 do so.  This will allow works crews and equipment to better access the highway.

Only oversized loads are disallowed on I-40 through the mountains, as well as I-26 at the Nolichucky River crossing in Erwin, TN.  Standard-width semi trucks that don't require permits can use those routes.  All oversized loads must use I-81 north to Fort Chiswell, VA and I-77 south to go into NC, and vice versa to go into TN.

[gbgoose]

I am going to be driving from Wisconsin to Upstate SC next week using I-40.  Is it smart to exit at Newport and use Hwy 25 East to I-26?

[74/171FAN]

I am going to be driving from Wisconsin to Upstate SC next week using I-40.  Is it smart to exit at Newport and use Hwy 25 East to I-26?

Did you mean I-81?  US 25E does not access I-26.

[gbgoose]

I am going to be driving from Wisconsin to Upstate SC next week using I-40.  Is it smart to exit at Newport and use Hwy 25 East to I-26?

Did you mean I-81?  US 25E does not access I-26.

My apologies, I meant US 25W, actually.  Doesn't 25W and 25E merge past Newport?  I can always drive up to I-81

[74/171FAN]

I am going to be driving from Wisconsin to Upstate SC next week using I-40.  Is it smart to exit at Newport and use Hwy 25 East to I-26?

Did you mean I-81?  US 25E does not access I-26.

My apologies, I meant US 25W, actually.  Doesn't 25W and 25E merge past Newport?  I can always drive up to I-81

If you are intending to access Future I-26 north of Asheville, NC, then taking US 25 from Newport would make sense.

However, neither US 25W or US 25E access I-26.  US 25W follows US 70 to Knoxville so you probably would want US 25E if you want to stay off of portions of I-40 and I-81.

[wriddle082]

I am going to be driving from Wisconsin to Upstate SC next week using I-40.  Is it smart to exit at Newport and use Hwy 25 East to I-26?

Did you mean I-81?  US 25E does not access I-26.

My apologies, I meant US 25W, actually.  Doesn't 25W and 25E merge past Newport?  I can always drive up to I-81

If you are intending to access Future I-26 north of Asheville, NC, then taking US 25 from Newport would make sense.

However, neither US 25W or US 25E access I-26.  US 25W follows US 70 to Knoxville so you probably would want US 25E if you want to stay off of portions of I-40 and I-81.

gbgoose obviously meant regular US 25, which re-begins at Newport two or three miles away from I-40 where US 25W and US 25E reunite just before getting into the downtown area.  US 25 and US 70 are duplexed together from Newport all the way into Asheville, adding US 19 and US 23 to the mix where they merge with I-26 at Weaverville.

Anyway, it probably depends on the exact time you're passing through the area.  Migtlht be a good idea to stop and check Google Maps to see if I-40 is green along the gorge route.  If it's yellow, it might be worth tolerating.  If it's the slightest bit red anywhere, I'd opt for US 25/70.  Overall it's not that bad of a route unless you get caught behind some slower traffic.  But it does widen out to four lanes from Marshall to I-26.

However, I'm noticing something right now looking at both routes on Google Maps.  I-40 appears to be red and dark red in one spot going westbound, but I'm seeing no color at all on part of US 25/70 from near TN 340 to almost the state line.  Google Maps usually gets the traffic speed info from cell phone providers that track how fast their phones travel down these roads.  So I'm thinking the road is open but there may not currently be any cell service.

NC has prohibited any vehicle over 30' long from using US 25/70 or NC 208 or NC 212, and I'm sure TN has similar restrictions for their corresponding sections of US 25/70, TN 70, or TN 352.  So as long as you're in a regular passenger car/truck/SUV or motorcycle, you can take it.

[I-55]

I am going to be driving from Wisconsin to Upstate SC next week using I-40.  Is it smart to exit at Newport and use Hwy 25 East to I-26?

Did you mean I-81?  US 25E does not access I-26.

My apologies, I meant US 25W, actually.  Doesn't 25W and 25E merge past Newport?  I can always drive up to I-81

If you are intending to access Future I-26 north of Asheville, NC, then taking US 25 from Newport would make sense.

However, neither US 25W or US 25E access I-26.  US 25W follows US 70 to Knoxville so you probably would want US 25E if you want to stay off of portions of I-40 and I-81.

gbgoose obviously meant regular US 25, which re-begins at Newport two or three miles away from I-40 where US 25W and US 25E reunite just before getting into the downtown area.  US 25 and US 70 are duplexed together from Newport all the way into Asheville, adding US 19 and US 23 to the mix where they merge with I-26 at Weaverville.

Anyway, it probably depends on the exact time you're passing through the area.  Migtlht be a good idea to stop and check Google Maps to see if I-40 is green along the gorge route.  If it's yellow, it might be worth tolerating.  If it's the slightest bit red anywhere, I'd opt for US 25/70.  Overall it's not that bad of a route unless you get caught behind some slower traffic.  But it does widen out to four lanes from Marshall to I-26.

However, I'm noticing something right now looking at both routes on Google Maps.  I-40 appears to be red and dark red in one spot going westbound, but I'm seeing no color at all on part of US 25/70 from near TN 340 to almost the state line.  Google Maps usually gets the traffic speed info from cell phone providers that track how fast their phones travel down these roads.  So I'm thinking the road is open but there may not currently be any cell service.

NC has prohibited any vehicle over 30' long from using US 25/70 or NC 208 or NC 212, and I'm sure TN has similar restrictions for their corresponding sections of US 25/70, TN 70, or TN 352.  So as long as you're in a regular passenger car/truck/SUV or motorcycle, you can take it.

I'm thinking that since Google didn't move their eastbound linework to the westbound pavement that it thinks there's no traffic on the eastbound roadway and that everyone moving either direction is going west. In Indy lately on 465/69 they've moved the lines on 465 to reflect the current MOT pattern, so maybe Google doesn't think anyone's traveling east