Forecasts calling for showers this weekend won't slow down construction crews at the $132.6 million Interstate 75-Interstate 24 Split reconstruction project.
Traffic disruption during the rebuilding and reopening of major components of the project is still set to start Thursday night, with the shutdown of the I-75 north to I-24 west ramp to begin Friday night.
When traffic enters the interchange on Monday, there will be two new ramps connecting I-75 and I-24, Tennessee Department of Transportation Region 2 director and assistant chief engineer Joe Deering said Wednesday during a news conference on the weekend work.
One new ramp will replace the closed ramp from I-75 north to I-24 west, and the other new ramp will link I-24 east to I-75 north when it's opened Monday to traffic, Deering said. That ramp includes a new bridge over I-75 south to connect with I-75 north.
East Brainerd residents on Thursday night will see the first change and associated traffic snarls on East Brainerd Road as crews begin the work to create the detour for interstate traffic headed for I-24 when the I-75 north to I-24 ramp is shut down Friday to build the new ramps drivers will use starting Monday.
Deering and C.W. Matthews project manager Mike Nadolski said the weather isn't expected to be a problem.
The forecast calls for a 30% chance of rain Friday, a 40% chance of rain on Saturday, then back to a 20% chance of rain on Sunday, according to WRCB-TV Channel 3's weather outlook. The rain chance goes back up to 30% on Monday.
"There may be a few isolated showers Friday, but any amounts will be light," WRCB chief meteorologist Paul Barys wrote in his Wednesday weather blog.
"This weekend will see a few scattered showers with highs in the mid- to upper-70s. Amounts again will be light and the showers will be well scattered," Barys said.
"I don't see the weather forecast changing drastically over the next three days," Nadolski said Wednesday.
C.W. Matthews has about 57 hours to complete the weekend work, he said.
More than 100,000 vehicles a day pass through the notorious I-75/I-24 split, the interchange known for its daily backups, outdated merge lanes and frequent crashes. The problems stem from the limitations of a design that goes back to the middle of the last century.
The interchange reconstruction project consists of widening existing roads and ramps, increasing the radius of ramps, reconfiguring I-75 entrance and exit ramps, shifting the interchange to the west and modifying the Tennessee Welcome Center area traffic circulation, according to TDOT.
The work also includes new bridges for Spring Creek Road over I-24, as well as interstate bridges throughout the interchange area. The project is slated for completion in late summer 2021. Deering said bridge work on I-24 will stop for the weekend to reduce the impact on traffic.
(READ MORE: I-24 interchange work at Chattanooga's South Broad district to start soon)
So, unless there's a washout, plans remain in place and the changes start Thursday night at the East Brainerd exit on I-75.
In order for crews to install and remove the interstate detour for Friday night's ramp closure, lane restrictions on East Brainerd and Hickory Valley roads will start 9 p.m. Thursday and continue until 6 a.m. Tuesday, with all local traffic on East Brainerd Road shifted to the two westbound lanes. The eastbound lanes will be closed to local traffic to form the interstate detour that Deering described as a "contraflow" pattern.
(READ MORE: Chattanooga's U.S. Highway 27 project to become model for interstate beautification)
Beginning Thursday night, those traveling westbound East Brainerd Road - toward Brainerd Road - will have access to I-75 north only, and those traveling eastbound - toward Gunbarrel Road - will not have access to I-75 in either direction. Also, traffic on Hickory Valley Road headed toward East Brainerd Road can turn only right for the duration of the work period.
Drivers who normally access I-75 from East Brainerd Road are encouraged to plan ahead and use alternate routes such as Highway 153 or Shallowford Road to access I-75 or Brainerd Road to access I-24 from Spring Creek Road, Moore Road or Germantown Road, TDOT spokesperson Jennifer Flynn said in a statement Wednesday.
Next comes the ramp closure.
At 9 p.m. Friday, the on-ramp from I-75 north to I-24 west will be closed and northbound I-75 traffic heading for I-24 west will have to continue north on I-75 to exit 3-A for East Brainerd Road and make a loop to get back on I-75 south to continue to I-24 west.
At the same time, both I-75 north on-ramps from Ringgold Road at exit 1 in East Ridge will be closed at 9 p.m. Friday until 6 a.m. the following Tuesday, and traffic will be detoured to alternate routes to access either I-75 or I-24 at other locations outside the work area, according to TDOT. Throughout the period, the Tennessee Welcome Center on I-75, between the I-75 north on-ramp at exit 1 and the interchange itself, will be closed.
Deering said East Ridge drivers headed for I-24 can take Ringgold Road to Moore Road to get to the on-ramp and East Ridge drivers headed for I-75 north can take U.S. Highway 41 South to Cloud Springs Road in Georgia and get on I-75 at Georgia exit 353.
Deering also warned big rigs to take note that truck traffic will be prohibited from using the East Ridge tunnels on Ringgold Road west of the exit 1 interchange due to low-height restrictions, and law enforcement will patrol those areas throughout the weekend.
TDOT urges motorists who frequently drive the split and nearby residents to watch TDOT's video of the detour and lane closures to better understand the complicated traffic patterns, temporary closures and rerouting.
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569. Follow him on Twitter @BenBenton or at www.facebook.com/benbenton1.