Work continues Thursday, May 12, 2016 on US 27 near the 4th Street exit .Tennessee Department of Transportation officials urge motorists to use increased caution while traveling the U.S. 27 corridor through downtown Chattanooga.
In December, the agency launched a massive $126 million reconstruction of the highway between the Interstate 24 interchange and the Olgiati Bridge, the most expensive project in its history. In March, one construction worker suffered injuries when hit by a vehicle leaving the freeway near the Fourth Street exit.
"Everyone needs to be alert when they drive through construction zones," TDOT Community Relations Officer Jennifer Flynn said. "There can be a big change in lane closures between day and night."
The U.S. 27 construction zone speed limit is 45 MPH.
With the approach of summer, tourism traffic will be added to the mix of residents and commuters who take U.S. 27 through Chattanooga.
Nearly 70,000 vehicles use the 2.3-mile stretch of U.S 27 every day, TDOT figures show.
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Contractors are building "a very, very large retaining wall" at the Fourth Street exit to separate it from Cameron Hill, Fynn said.
Part of that work calls for removing curves and adding a frontage road connecting to the Sixth Street and M.L. King Boulevard exits. Safety and capacity needs drive the reconstruction project, Flynn said.
In time, the M.L. King Boulevard and West Main Street exits also will receive new ramps and other improvements.
A recent TDOT advisory warned of multiple lane shifts and lane closures on U.S. 27 North between 12th Street and Manufacturers Road for paving and striping work. The curving nature of the highway there already limits sight distances, Flynn said.
To lessen the project's impact upon the upcoming Riverbend Festival, work to widen the Olgiati Bridge will be limited to the north end, Flynn said. The bridge is scheduled to get a new travel lane and shoulder in each direction. That project will stretch into 2017, she said.
Downtown development leaders say they appreciate TDOT's efforts to minimize disruptions during the project.
Kim White, president of nonprofit River City Co., has said TDOT officials "went above and beyond" concerning landscaping and using artwork on the project's many retaining walls.
TDOT also responded to community hostility toward a long-proposed roundabout in the M.L. King Boulevard exit makeover, removing it from reconstruction plans.
A roundabout would have run counter to a proposed pedestrian-friendly plan to connect nearby Miller Park with Miller Plaza, which has been championed by Mayor Andy Berke.
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City government leaders are seeking to reduce the impact of the TDOT project on local roadways.
In November, Transportation Director Blythe Bailey said the city would use closed-circuit cameras to adjust the timing of downtown traffic signals.
"Construction on interstates always causes congestion," Bailey said.
Flynn said TDOT has tried to minimize the project's impact on downtown properties.
"Instead of spreading out and having to buy property, we tried to keep it in a narrow footprint," she said.
Chattanoogans have plenty of time to get used to the work, which is projected for completion in July 2019.
When complete, the downtown freeway will have six travel lanes - three in each direction - and one or two additional exit ramp lanes. The project also calls for the construction of nine bridges and 31 retaining walls and the removal of the freeway's "S" curve.
The downtown freeway was constructed between the 1950s and 1960s.
Contact staff writer Paul Leach at 423-757-6481 or pleach@timesfreepress.com.