M.L. King ramp closes today

TDOT will be closing the onramp from eastbound Martin Luther King Boulevard to U.S. 27 North for approximately three months beginning Saturday, September 10, 2016
TDOT will be closing the onramp from eastbound Martin Luther King Boulevard to U.S. 27 North for approximately three months beginning Saturday, September 10, 2016
photo The northbound on-ramp from M.L. King Boulevard to U.S. Highway 27 north will close for three months beginning this weekend, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

The on-ramp from the eastbound lanes of M.L. King Boulevard to U.S. Highway 27 north closes today and will remain closed for the next three months.

Contractors will construct a left-turn lane in the middle of M.L. King Boulevard so eastbound drivers can use the ramp on the westbound side to head north on Highway 27.

Marquita Barnes, assistant general manager of the Holiday Inn Express just west of the interchange, said she knows the construction project will end well, but she dreads the process.

"It's a bit of a headache," she said.

She already uses a different route because of the ongoing work to rebuild Highway 27, but she's concerned about guests using GPS who may have trouble navigating changes.

Completely closing the ramp allows work to be finished within three months instead of a year, Tennessee Department of Transportation officials said.

"The reason that they're closing this is that they're going to be reconstructing a retaining wall that goes between the off and on ramp when the project is completed and also building a new ramp," said Jennifer Flynn, TDOT community relations officer.

The $126 million project will widen U.S. 27 from Interstate 24 past the Olgiati Bridge, a 2.3-mile stretch. It's TDOT's most expensive project ever, according to Flynn.

The overall project is expected to improve U.S. 27 by straightening curves, reconstructing nine bridges and adding lanes.

The project is slated to end July 2019 and is now on schedule, Flynn said.

Contact staff writer Yolanda Putman at yputman@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6431.

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