Chattanooga council questions traffic standstill after I-24 wreck

Staff photo / In this long exposure photograph from 2020, traffic is seen going east and west bound from the Old Ringgold Road bridge on Interstate 24. A tractor trailer overturning Oct. 4 on I-24 caused a traffic disruption for hours, catching the attention of the Chattanooga City Council. Staff photo / In this long exposure photograph from 2020, traffic is seen going east and west bound from the Old Ringgold Road bridge on Interstate 24. A tractor trailer overturning Oct. 4 on I-24 caused a traffic disruption for hours, catching the attention of the Chattanooga City Council.

By Mariah Franklin October 23, 2024 5 min read

Members of the Chattanooga City Council asked police to explain why a wreck on Interstate 24 caused an extensive traffic disruption and how similar delays can be avoided in the future.

The accident that drew the council’s attention occurred Oct. 4 when a tractor trailer overturned and injured no one, but the wreck stalled traffic throughout the city and into parts of Georgia for hours.

During a public safety committee meeting, council Chair Chip Henderson, of Lookout Valley, asked Chattanooga Police Chief John Chambers to describe what happened and address how to improve traffic flows and crash responses on I-24.

The crash took place around 7:30 a.m., southeast of Lookout Shoals, on the eastbound section of the highway, past both the Browns Ferry Road and Cummings Highway exits. Henderson, who represents the district in which the crash occurred, played a video during the meeting showing long lines of cars near Browns Ferry Road going toward the interstate around 3 p.m.