One last time, the Tennessee Department of Transportation's contractor on the Interstate 24 bridge project over Germantown Road will implement a full closure of the interstate, detouring traffic around the work onto North Terrace and South Terrace.
Starting at 9 p.m. Friday, the contractor, Bell and Associates Construction, will begin operations to install a protective membrane and final paving on the newly constructed bridges on I-24 over Germantown Road. The contractor will close the interstate in both directions while rerouting motorists around the work until traffic resumes its normal pattern by 6 a.m. Monday, according to Tennessee Department of Transportation spokesperson Rae-Anne Bradley.
All eastbound traffic will exit the interstate at Germantown Road, exit 183, travel along South Terrace and return to the interstate using a temporary on-ramp, Bradley said.
All westbound 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, she said.
There will be no access from local streets to the I-24 entrance and exit ramps along this stretch during these interstate closures.
In preparation for the weekend closure on I-24, the traffic pattern on nearby local roads will be adjusted before the interstate closure, according to officials.
Detour routes will be provided online and by way of overhead and portable message boards.
This work is weather dependent, and if bad weather or unforeseen circumstances cause delays it will be rescheduled for a later date, officials said.
During the last two closures for the project in April, the work during the shutdown was completed ahead of schedule and traffic was able to return to a normal pattern more quickly than planned.
The National Weather Service's forecast for the weekend calls for no chance of rain until Sunday, when a 40% chance of rain and thunderstorms is predicted after 9 a.m.
The work at Germantown Road is part of a $32.9 million project that included the construction of a new bridge over I-24 at Belvoir Avenue.
The Belvoir Avenue bridge over I-24 was closed April 20, 2020, when the contractor began constructing that new bridge as part of the larger project that also includes replacement of the bridges over Germantown Road. The bridge on Belvoir Avenue was reopened at the end of March.
The bridges along I-24 at Germantown Road and Belvoir Avenue in downtown Chattanooga were originally built in 1964. Inspections in recent years found the two spans to have structural deterioration and deficiencies that needed to be addressed, according to an overview of the project.
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569. Follow him on Twitter @BenBenton.