Starting at 9 p.m. Monday, state transportation construction crews will begin rolling roadblocks for the installation of bridge beams over Interstate 24 at McBrien and South Moore roads as part of the second phase of the $161 million split project.
The work, which will slow or stop traffic for brief periods, will take place Monday and Wednesday nights with the work for the day being completed by 6 a.m., according to a statement from the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
“Only one direction of I-24 will be temporarily closed at a time,” the state agency said in a statement. “After 30 minutes, traffic will be allowed to clear and return to a free flow condition before starting another closure. This process will be repeated throughout the night until all beams have been set. These brief closures are necessary for the safety of the motoring public.”
Additional nightly lane closures on I-24 and Interstate 75 are also possible during these times, a spokesperson said, noting motorists should consider taking an alternate route.
The replacement of the bridge beams stems from the January discovery of two substandard concrete beams on the South Moore Road bridge and three substandard concrete beams on the McBrien Road bridge, according to state officials and the contractor. Company officials with the Charleston, Tennessee-based Wright Brothers Construction said in May they were confident there would be no effect on the overall project timeline.
(READ MORE: Early work on I-75 widening between Cleveland and Ooltewah under way)
“We will replace the five beams and proceed with the concrete deck placement,” Wright Brothers Director of Marketing Joelle M. Cavitt said in an email to the newspaper in May.
The work that began in July 2023 with the demolition of the two bridges linking Chattanooga’s Brainerd community to East Ridge over I-24 is slated to be complete by late 2025. The improvement project is meant to ease congestion at the infamous I-24/I-75 split, where backups and accidents have jammed traffic for decades, according to the state agency.
The second phase of work ties into the now completed $133.5 million first phase of the split project, which together are intended to ease traffic flow in all directions, according to transportation officials.
The first phase, completed in 2021, reconstructed the interchange and included a new bridge over I-24 at Spring Creek Road and two separate, but complementary, bridge projects that were completed under individual contracts in 2021 at I-24 over Germantown Road and on Belvoir Avenue over I-24.
(READ MORE: I-75 bottleneck at I-24 likely to continue until last new lanes complete)
Drivers are encouraged to use caution as they travel through this area and expect delays. Signage will be posted directing drivers through the work zone. This work is weather permitting. Should inclement weather or unforeseen circumstances delay this work, it will be rescheduled to take place at a later date.
Travelers can check the state’s SmartWay map for views from interstate traffic cameras and dial 511 for travel information, transportation officials said.
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.
Staff Photo by Matt Hamilton / Traffic on Interstate 24 passes under the McBrien Road overpass on May 14.