TDOT closing two lanes of I-24 west Thursday near Monteagle

A recent rockfall on Interstate 24 West at mile marker 136.2 in Marion County near Monteagle resulted in several rocks spilling out onto the interstate and into the travel lanes, according to a Tennessee Department of Transportation news release. (Screenshot: smartway.tn.gov)
A recent rockfall on Interstate 24 West at mile marker 136.2 in Marion County near Monteagle resulted in several rocks spilling out onto the interstate and into the travel lanes, according to a Tennessee Department of Transportation news release. (Screenshot: smartway.tn.gov)
photo A recent rockfall on Interstate 24 West at mile marker 136.2 in Marion County near Monteagle resulted in several rocks spilling out onto the interstate and into the travel lanes, according to a Tennessee Department of Transportation news release. (Screenshot: smartway.tn.gov)

A recent rockfall on Interstate 24 west at mile marker 136.2 in Marion County near Monteagle resulted in several rocks spilling out onto the interstate and into the travel lanes, according to a Tennessee Department of Transportation news release.

Engineers with TDOT's Geotechnical Engineering Section assessed and recommended that the rockfall hazard in this area be addressed as soon as possible.

The slope where the rockfall originated is adjacent to the fast lane of I-24 West. As a precautionary measure, TDOT crews will close lanes 1 (fast lane) and 2 (middle lane) in the vicinity of the rockfall site until the repairs are successfully made to the slope. Traffic will use lane 3 (slow lane) and the shoulder to travel through the area until the slope can be stabilized.

Traffic will be shifted into this temporary configuration beginning at 9 a.m. CST on Thursday, Dec. 6. During the shift, traffic on I-24 West will be temporarily reduced to a single lane for a short period of time. Once the shift is complete, two lanes (the slow lane and the shoulder) will be opened to traffic. I-24 West at mile marker 136.2 will remain at two lanes until this rockfall area can be addressed.

From your desktop or mobile device, get the latest construction activity and live streaming SmartWay traffic cameras at www.TNSmartWay.com/Traffic. Travelers can also dial 511 from any land-line or cellular phone for travel information, or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TN511 for statewide travel or Chattanooga area alerts @Chattanooga511 or any of TDOT's other Twitter pages. Drivers should never tweet, text or talk on a cell phone while behind the wheel.

In 2016, the Tennessee Department of Transportation lost three workers in the line of duty. All three were struck by passing motorists. Those tragedies bring the total number of TDOT lives lost to 112. We don't want to lose another member of our TDOT family. We're asking you to WORK WITH US. To learn more go to the website at https://www.tn.gov/tdot/work-with-us/.

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