A Dement Construction crew, left, works on a lift as semi passes under the Interstate 24 bridge at Kimball, Tenn. The minimum height below the bridge has been raised to 16.8 feet for more clearance, according to Dement Construction project manager Scott Williams.
Amanda McFalls, near left, removes excess concrete with Dan White before sealing on the newly rebuilt Interstate-24 bridge at Kimball, Tenn. The minimum height below has been raised to 16.8-feet for more clearance, according to Dement Construction project manager Scott Williams.KIMBALL, Tenn. — The traffic problems caused by a major bridge construction project at Interstate 24’s exit 152 here may have no easy answers.
Crews on the Tennessee Department of Transportation project are raising the two spans of the bridge to address clearance issues with tractor-trailers that pass under the interstate on U.S. Highway 72 on their way to South Pittsburg, Tenn., and Alabama.
Vice Mayor Rex Pesnell, who owns a business inside the construction zone, said he’s concerned a bad situation could become worse during the holiday season.
“There’s been many times during the peak hours that traffic has become just terrible,” he said. “I don’t know if this is a liability that we should take on, or if we should just deal with it.”
Pesnell said he thought having officers in place to regulate traffic during peak hours might help, but Kimball Police Chief Tommy Jordan said the city doesn’t have any certified officers to do the job.