TN.gov Newsroom

 

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Progress on work to stabilize two separate rockslides along U.S. 64 and on other improvements along the U.S. 64 corridor continues despite days of weather delays. The Tennessee Department of Transportation has re-evaluated progress on work to clear and stabilize a section of Little Frog Mountain along U.S. 64 in Polk County near TVA Ocoee 2 Dam and now expects the roadway will reopen by April 16, weather permitting. TDOT originally estimated a March 31, 2010 opening however harsh weather on site and the unpredictable nature of the work has delayed the opening date.

NASHVILLE – Beginning next week, motorists traveling on Rosa Parks Boulevard near MetroCenter should be alert to changes to the westbound travel lanes. The changes are necessary as a project to widen the Rosa Parks Boulevard Bridge over Interstate 65 moves into its second phase.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.- U.S. 129/SR-115 is closed from the North Carolina state line to a rockslide two miles south of the Chilhowee Dam.

 

Due to the complexity and severity of the rockslide that occurred on U.S. 129/SR-115 on Sunday morning, law enforcement and emergency crews will have very limited emergency access to the Dragon. Response time to accidents or emergencies could be hindered by the rockslide's instability or repair work to the slide.

 

NASHVILLE – Tennessee has been selected by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) to participate in the Policy Academy on Shaping a New Approach to Transportation and Land Use Planning. The state will develop a Corridor Management Agreement in one of the state’s urban areas that will later be applied to other transportation corridors across the state. The goal is to create a system that helps local planning agencies learn how to make land use decisions that better coordinate with transportation decisions made at the local and state level. Colorado, Maryland, Washington and West Virginia have also been selected to participate in the program.

 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – In an effort to conserve resources and to improve air quality, the Tennessee Department of Transportation is celebrating a conservation milestone. As of this week, fueling stations at TDOT’s Region One Complex Office now offer E85 fuel for state vehicles. E85 is a blend of ethanol and gasoline that burns cleaner than regular gasoline thus reducing a number of airborne pollutants.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner Gerald Nicely will visit the U.S. 64 rockslide sites in Polk County on Friday, March 19. Nicely will update the progress made on clearing the slides and improving the roadway and the schedule for reopening U.S. 64.  

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Department of Transportation crews will close two interchange ramps on Interstate 440 in Nashville this weekend as a major concrete repair project continues. The closures are as follows:

 

      Ramp from I-440 West to Interstate 65 South

       Ramp from Interstate 65 North to I-440 West

 

The ramps will close beginning at 4:00 a.m. Saturday, March 20, 2010 and will reopen no later than 6:00 a.m. Monday, March 22, 2010.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Work continues to progress on the stabilization and clearing of the rockslide along U.S. 64 at Mile Marker 17 in Polk County with around the clock work set to begin Tuesday. Construction crews continued scaling loose rock and debris from the eastern side of the slope with machinery today as heavy equipment worked along the roadway and river bank breaking up large rock and hauling away debris from the site.  Rock bolting crews worked through the evening and early morning hours drilling 15 ft., 25 ft. and 40 ft. deep holes along the upper and middle sections of the central part of the slope in order to grout and install rock bolts.  Daytime and night time crews will continue working a 24/7 schedule, weather permitting, until the slide remediation and cleanup is completed.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Over the weekend, daytime construction crews continued hauling slide debris from the site and reconstructed the 275 ton crawler crane approximately 30’ to the east so that hand and mechanical scaling could continue on the eastern face of the slope.  The contractor resumed scaling today and will continue until the slope is free of loose rock and debris that might otherwise serve as a hazard to workers and future traffic on the roadway surface below.