Monday morning, Chattanooga commuters heading into town on eastbound Interstate 24 can start taking a gleaming new off-ramp to South Broad Street to access the south end of downtown.
Sunday night starting at 9, the contractor is scheduled to open the new Broad Street exit off I-24 and close the existing exit to Broad Street from southbound U.S. Highway 27, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation. With the new traffic pattern, TDOT said drivers need to be aware of the changes.
"A new traffic pattern will be implemented at Exit 178 on I-24 east. As part of this new traffic pattern, I-24 east traffic will use Exit 178 to access Broad Street directly," TDOT spokeswoman Rae-Anne Bradley said Friday in a news release. "A new traffic signal will be activated at the intersection of Broad Street and the new I-24 east ramp."
U.S. Highway 27 south traffic will use the Williams Street exit to reach Broad Street, according to TDOT. Detour signs directing traffic to Broad Street from southbound U.S. 27 will be posted.
New traffic lights at the intersection of South Broad and the new ramp were turned on and flashing yellow Friday.
The $32 million interchange improvement project was at 71.8% completion on Sept. 23 before the ramp was completed, Bradley said at the time. Supply chain problems and materials shortages dogged the project over the summer, but project contractor Wright Brothers Construction still expected to complete the project by Aug. 31, 2023, Bradley said last month.
On Friday, Bradley did not respond to questions about the completion status or whether the project is still on schedule.
"This new I-24 east to Broad Street exit ramp opening is a major milestone in delivering the I-24 interchange improvements at Broad and Market streets," TDOT Region 2 Assistant Chief Engineer Joe Deering said in an emailed statement. "Once completed, this project will improve connectivity to the historic foundry district and South Broad commercial corridor and make it much easier for local and regional traffic to safely access the area."
In July, TDOT officials warned supply and materials issues were beginning to crop up and, as of two weeks ago, TDOT said the contractor was tentatively hoping to open the ramp in late October.
The new exit off of I-24 leads to the planned new frontage road that will extend east across South Broad to Market Street, where an on-ramp will lead back onto the eastbound lanes of I-24 adjacent to Howard School, plan documents show.
The project aims to improve the safety and operation of the interstate, as well as provide improved access to U.S. 27, Broad and Market streets and other points on the south side of the city, where a new $79.5 million stadium for the Chattanooga Lookouts is planned. When updated, the interchanges will accommodate current and future traffic demands, promote economic growth and support area redevelopment, according to TDOT.
(READ MORE: $8.6 million upgrade underway on Ringgold Road in East Ridge)
The modifications address high crash rates in the area where I-24's eastbound lanes and North Broad Street diverge, as well as from South Market Street to the ramps for I-24's eastbound lanes, according to TDOT.
In 2022, the intersection of I-24/U.S. 27 was ranked at No. 29 on the American Transportation Research Institute's 100 worst freight bottlenecks in the U.S. The Interstate 75/I-24 interchange near the Georgia state line in Chattanooga -- known as the split -- ranked at No. 10.
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569. Follow him on Twitter @BenBenton.
