State DOT officials plan to unveil plans for a major redesign of U.S. 27 downtown at a public meeting on March 24.
TDOT officials said the redesign will be carried out mainly within the existing right of way, but will provide separate through lanes that are divided from lanes for those getting off and on downtown.
They said the new lanes will be in the section from Main Street to the Olgiati Bridge at the Tennessee River.
For those going from I-24 toward Signal Mountain, there will be signage telling those not planning to get off downtown to get into separate lanes. Those lanes will go across the exit for MLK Boulevard, go across Sixth Street and go across the exit for Fourth Street. The lanes will rejoin U.S. 27 in designated lanes at the Olgiati Bridge.
Presently, those going on to Signal Mountain confront traffic merging in at MLK Boulevard and also at Fourth Street.
Coming from the Signal Mountain area, there will be designated lanes for those not planning to get off downtown.
Those planning to exit downtown will go off the freeway at Fourth Street and down to a signalized intersection at Fourth Street. They could proceed on to Sixth Street to another intersection or on further to a signal at MLK Boulevard. These lanes would be separate from the U.S. 27 freeway.
The meeting will be at the Bicentennial Library from 6-8 p.m.
There will be a presentation of the plans and a question and answer session.
A consultant helped the TDOT design the new downtown freeway plans.
The work would not start until 2010.