CLEVELAND, Tenn. - The $54 million widening of State Route 60 in Bradley County is almost eight months into the project and crews are working at sites from one end to the other of the 3-mile footprint for the new, five-lane road.
At the beginning of May, the project stood at a little over 12% complete and was tracking on schedule, Tennessee Department of Transportation spokesperson Rae-Anne Bradley said Thursday in an email.
Bradley said the price tag on the project hasn't changed, although there are some change orders related to utilities that are pending but not expected to have a significant effect. Johnson City, Tennessee-based Summers-Taylor Inc. is the contractor on the project, which is scheduled for completion by Aug. 25, 2025.
So far, trees have been cleared the length of the entire project and storm drain installation is underway south of the Candies Creek Bridge, she said. There have been brief outages for transfer of utility services and because of some small, accidental breakages, she said.
"If any future outages are required for the installation of new utilities, customers will be notified," she said.
Bridge crews Tuesday and through the week were continuing work on foundations for the new bridge over Candies Creek, and Bradley said phone, cable, water, sewer and gas line relocation work is ongoing along the project segment of Highway 60.
(READ MORE: Ocoee River bridge behind schedule but traffic to be shifted to new span by May 30)
According to TDOT, the replacement project will widen the present two-lane road known by most in Bradley County as Georgetown Road to a five-lane road - two lanes in each direction with a dedicated center turn lane - with paved shoulders, curb and gutter, sidewalks and street lighting. The work will improve the corridor for an estimated 15,000 vehicles that travel the route every day.
The project took a long time to begin because the design for the utilities had to be completed first so there would be fewer issues as the project continued, former TDOT Commissioner Clay Bright said at the project groundbreaking in October. It takes time to learn about the requirements of various underground utilities that must be understood and included in design work on the front end rather than trying to solve issues as they come up, he said.
BY THE NUMBERS
$54 million: Bid amount. 2.9 miles: Length of project. Aug. 5, 2025: Contract completion date. Source: Tennessee Department of Transportation
TDOT officials said the design includes the realignment of Highway 60 and several side roads to improve safety and sight distance, and the construction of a new, five-lane bridge over Candies Creek, a portion of the project in full swing now.
Intersections throughout the project will be upgraded and traffic signals will be installed at Crown Colony Drive, Villa Drive, Paul Huff Parkway and Eureka Road, according to TDOT.
State officials have said the current project is the first of three phases of work. Phase 2 will extend from Eureka Road to the Georgetown community, and phase 3 will continue widening the highway to the intersection with State Route 58 in Hamilton County.
Entrances to three schools along Highway 60 are targeted for work this summer, Bradley said.
"TDOT's contract crews will be working to reconstruct the entrance to Cleveland Middle School over the coming months while students are out for summer break," she said. "The entrances to Candy's Creek Cherokee Elementary School and Hopewell Elementary School will also be reworked in the near future to accommodate the newly widened portions of State Route 60."
In the coming week, Bradley said bridge crews will continue working on foundations for the new Candies Creek bridge, and grading and paving crews will be working at the main entrance to Cleveland Middle School.
"We haven't received any complaints about this project," she said.
Near the intersection of Highway 60 and Weston Hills Drive, Melissa Clayton can see and hear the heavy equipment outside her business, Changes Salon. Tuesday a crew of workers was attempting to turn a flat-bed tractor-trailer around in the parking lot she shares with a couple of neighboring businesses.
Photo Gallery
Bradley County's $54 million Highway 60 project on schedule as work continues into summer
The crew was preparing to load a piece of heavy machinery that was sitting at one end of a nearby work area and the parking lot was their only avenue to reach it.
Clayton chalks such matters up to the price of progress.
"The inconvenience was everything, taking so long to get started," Clayton said as she cut customer Nikki Burton's hair Tuesday morning.
Clayton said she at first thought her landlord was going to sell the building but he decided to stay and Clayton didn't want to have to move.
"The guys on the project have been trying to accommodate us," she said. "They have been helpful, and we need the road work."
Clayton said as she understands it, the salon's front door will be about 23 feet from the road when it's done. She hopes her customers will stay with her through the work, and the customer in her chair predicted no problems.
"Her clients are so loyal they'll go anywhere to find her, and that's the truth," Burton said from under her dark hair.
For Memorial Day weekend, workers will halt work requiring lane closures for the holiday on most TDOT projects. Motorists may still encounter some lane closures or restrictions while traveling through long-term construction projects, officials said in a news release on holiday work. Drivers should remember that reduced speed limits are in effect in work zones, and drivers convicted of speeding through work zones where workers are present face a fine of up to $500, according to officials.
Throughout the remainder of construction, Bradley said area motorists should keep in mind traffic is heavy in the project area and to slow down and exercise caution.
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569. Follow him on Twitter @BenBenton.