I-75, I-24 'Split' traffic to shift to final alignment this weekend in Chattanooga

Staff file photo by Robin Rudd / Northbound traffic heads north on Interstate 75 North headed onto Interstate 24 West for downtown Chattanooga, Alabama or Nashville through the infamous "Split."
Staff file photo by Robin Rudd / Northbound traffic heads north on Interstate 75 North headed onto Interstate 24 West for downtown Chattanooga, Alabama or Nashville through the infamous "Split."

Crews on the $132.6 million Interstate 24-Interstate 75 Interchange Modification project starting Friday night will shift northbound I-75 traffic and westbound I-24 traffic onto their final alignments, affecting traffic even as a separate project affects I-24 at the Germantown Road bridge.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation project is set to be complete this summer. Contractor C.W. Matthew Contracting will begin shifting traffic at 9 p.m. Friday with plans to complete the work by 6 a.m. Monday.

TDOT officials said the contractors on the interchange project and the bridge project hope and expect to be finished ahead of schedule.

"We are fortunate to have so many important construction projects occurring in our area, but there are times when it gets complicated," TDOT spokesperson Jennifer Flynn said. "The I-75/I-24 contractor has had this weekend reserved for a while now, but the I-24 Germantown Road bridge contractor had to postpone his work from last weekend because of weather.

"Since this weekend is going to be good, weather-wise, for this work, both contractors are taking advantage of it," she said.

At the 'Split'

During the traffic shift, the two left lanes on I-75 north approaching the interchange will be closed, according to TDOT. Traffic going from I-75 north to I-24 west will use a temporary exit ramp that leads off to the left initially until the final alignment on the new I-24 west ramp and new pattern for I-75 north are readied by the end of the weekend.

The I-75 north on-ramps from Ringgold Road at East Ridge's exit 1 will also be closed during the work, and traffic will be directed to alternate routes and access either I-75 or I-24 at other locations, according to TDOT.

Trucks will be prohibited from using the Missionary Ridge tunnels on Ringgold Road west of the exit 1 interchange as an alternate route, officials said.

"When the contractor completes this traffic shift, motorists traveling through the interchange on I-75 north will access I-24 west ramp from the right instead of the left as they have historically done," Flynn said. "Motorists are encouraged to pay attention and follow all signs as they adjust to the new traffic pattern."

On the bridge

Starting at 9 p.m. Friday the contractor on the I-24 project, Bell and Associates Construction, will begin operations to replace the interstate bridges on I-24 over Germantown Road and will close the interstate in both directions, rerouting motorists until the normal traffic pattern resumes by 6 a.m. Monday, officials said.

Rain forced delay of the work last weekend. Flynn said the first portion of the work on the weekend of April 16-19 went better than expected.

"We were very pleased with the incredible amount of work that was accomplished during the first weekend closure, and we are anticipating that this weekend's work will go equally well," TDOT Region II Director Joe Deering said Wednesday of the bridge project.

The National Weather Service forecasts only a chance of showers early Friday, then mostly clear skies through Saturday night. There is a 30% chance of rain Sunday after 2 p.m.

Starting at 9 p.m. on the westbound side of I-24, all traffic will exit the interstate using a temporary off-ramp, travel along North Terrace and return to the interstate using the existing on-ramp at Germantown Road.

On the eastbound side, all traffic will exit the interstate at Germantown Road - exit 183 - travel along South Terrace and return to I-24 using a temporary on-ramp.

This weekend will be the last major traffic shift or shutdown on either of the projects until June, when another weekend closure of I-24 over Germantown Road is planned for the last bit of work on that project, Flynn said.

"They'll both be done this summer, so this is probably the last big traffic shift," she said.

Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569. Follow him on Twitter @BenBenton or at www.facebook.com/benbenton1.

photo Staff file photo by Robin Rudd / This temporary ramp will allow northbound traffic on Interstate 24 to exit onto North Terrace, foreground, to bypass the work on the bridge over Germantown Road. Traffic will again merge onto the interstate past Germantown.

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