Anyone that lives further south and west than Downtown or the Southside should be so totally fed up and beyond frustrated with traveling into or out of the heart of the city. It's beyond any level of aggravation that there are really only two ways into Downtown and beyond for us in Lookout Valley, Elder and Lookout Mountains, and beyond into Dade and Marion Counties.
There is too much major traffic flow that needs to get from our areas to Downtown and beyond. That is nothing new.
It's getting worse everyday to drive through those areas around the 24 and 27 split. For the past two mornings, the only bridge where 24 raises over 27 at the interchange has been completely shut down due to wrecks. Wrecks happen there all the time. Not a secret at all.
It's doubly worse that when 24 is inhibited by something, that Scenic Highway around the base of Lookout Mountain also becomes a parking lot. There are two spots when four lanes of traffic have to constrict to two. The old and original railroad under passes. There once was talk about trying to improve or widen the pitiful two two-lane under passes. One on the Lookout Valley side and the other where Broad Street begins. They are both way past the expiration date and do nothing but hinder traffic flow.
It is fully understood that 24 has the river on one side and the railroad on the other. There has to be some solution.
Ricky Hendricks-Smith
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Our Lookout Valley Association meetings, where everyone is encouraged to attend, this subject was discussed with TDOT representatives. No clear cut answers were given except to say that studies were being conducted.
Also mentioned was those useless roundabouts, and if that's not bad enough, now we have bottlenecks occurring at the Browns Ferry Road and Cummings Highway red light where some juvenile traffic engineer had a no turn on red sign posted.
I have driven well over 40 years in this area and have never witnessed such immature management of our great city, notwithstanding the previous mayor. Lastly, put the bicycle riders on the back roads, not on our main roads. Most any adult knows that they cannot sustain the speeds of automobiles. Besides, they don't have the same regulatory nightmares that auto drivers do.
Ron Ray
Lookout Valley
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There is no doubt something needs to be done at the 24/75 junction, as well as at the ridge cut. I have friends that regularly come up from North Georgia and they always say it's a crap shoot as to whether the traffic will be moving before the split and at the ridge cut.
I'm not sure what the answer is, save for some construction project of biblical proportions lasting well into the next generation, but even with that, we will always have distracted tourists seeing the ridge cut and the beautiful valley spread out before them for the first time. Not much you can do about having one of the prettiest views for miles around occurring on a busy, curvy, hilly interstate.
As for turning this into a reason to gripe about roundabouts, bicyclists, and no turn on red intersections, I'm just glad it allowed some folks a break from yelling at the kids to get out of their yard.
Herb Montgomery
Chattanooga
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As one who travels to Nashville frequently I can certainly understand Ricky Hendricks-Smith's frustration with the traffic on I-24. But if you look at the topography of the area as Herb Montgomery said, it would take a construction project of biblical proportions to alleviate the bottleneck.
Fifty years ago in the summer of 1965 I worked for TDOT on the building of the interstate around the foot of the mountain. The roadway is actually built on a landfill. At that time the river came up to the banks of the railroad tracks. The engineers had to fill in the area where the road is now and cut off an equal area of land on Mocassin Bend so as not to impede the flow of the river.
Highway 41 cut into the side of Lookout Mountain is the only current alternative at the present. Outside of a perimeter highway or a tunnel through Lookout Mountain(both prohibitively expensive) it appears to this non-engineer there is no realistic alternative than trying to enforce the speed limit.
Douglas Jones
Ooltewah
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I’m sure most motorists have noticed that during the hours of 3-6 p.m. daily it now takes upwards of an hour to traverse the metro Chattanooga area on I-24, should it rain, well engage your parking brake, it’s going to take much longer. Acquaintances that would know through sources with the THP tell me that studies show that there is an insufficient consistently high traffic level to warrant even considering lane expansion on the I-24 section from I-59 East.
I submit that some of this problem would be alleviated if THP\CHP\Hamilton and Marion County Sheriff’s Departments would actually enforce the speed limits. Think of the ticket windfall in revenues.
I would also suggest the trucks exceeding two axles be required to remain in the right lane(s). There’s one sign westbound on I-24, a half mile before the Georgia line, suggesting slower traffic stay right. The issue of the trucks slowing the left lane backs traffic up back to the ridge cut west bound during the afternoon hours.
And people really, unlike the majority of poorly designed on ramps, the west\southbound 27 to I-24 ramp leaves almost 200 yard to merge. It’s not necessary to stop traffic right at the top of ramp to merge there.
If the speed limits would be enforced and the majority of the conscientious safety minded truckers would be informed through signage that there are significant uphill grades ahead, some of the congestion from the White Oak Mountain area to the Nickajack Reservoir might be eliminated.
Robert Grier
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Conversation about I-24 west of town could include the dearth of public transit. It is remarkable the traffic from outlying communities to downtown alone that could be served by buses and or trains. Trenton, South Pittsburg and Fort Payne could be depot points. It is a bit amusing as we go along rail tracks there is no rail service to Trenton or Guntersville.
One other thing, as a resident of Lookout Valley without a 20 MPH bumper for a belly, I am amazed that in 2015 I can't ride my bike to town along the river. All that land in a floodplain and I have to go Wauhatchie Pike around Lookout Mountain. So I drive. Part of that drive provides a scenic view.
There is this 1930's or so rail underpass that has a wonderfully framed view of a new bridge across Lookout Creek. The frame of that picture is two lanes by today's standards and the distant view is of a current code bridge, four lanes with breakdown lanes on each side. It is a wonderful mirror of our collective consciousness manifested in how much participation we make with our municipal and state and federal governments.
Prentice Hicks
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I'm a transplant to Chattanooga 10 years now from the greater Atlanta area. One of the biggest choke points (now and then) is at the 75/85 merge in downtown Atlanta. There are so many lanes, major and minor exits, exit only lanes, etc. that it is just a nightmare.
One of the best things I have seen done to help alleviate confusion is paint destination signs on the roadway. So on our way back from a Florida vacation coming from I-75, each lane had multiple car-sized blue and while interstate signs painted on the lane to let you know where you would end up. Between larger cars (or tractor trailer traffic) it can be hard to keep up with the overhead signage or lane-count. It was simple and amazing.
While Chattanooga is nowhere near an Atlanta yet in overall traffic, the hilly, curvy nature of the highways and exit densities make being in the correct lane sooner an imperative. It may still be hard to see painted highway markings if traffic is a parking lot, but hopefully a more navigable highway will contribute to fewer wrecks and better flow.
Brett Senentz
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One aspect of the discussion regarding congestion along I-24 and I-75 that has not come up is the fact that both routes are major corridors for commercial traffic through Chattanooga. That is not going to change.
I agree that there is no reasonable solution to creating another highway between a mountain and a river. Maybe some would like a ferry? I am being facetious of course.
There is no geographical solution. Perhaps the answer lies in drivers taking responsibility to be aware of weather and conditions, leave home in time to drive at safe [posted] speeds, don't tailgate, and don't allow themselves to be distracted.
I drove from Marion county to Chattanooga and back for over two years. On any given morning drivers were traveling at excessive speeds, applying makeup, eating breakfast, etc. Of course,
add the whole smart phone generation to that mix now. Drivers do not slow down in rain and other poor driving conditions.
Many don't turn on their headlights when it is raining, and most don't signal lane changes. In. addition, drivers often wait to the last minute to get into exit lanes.
Wrecks that cause congestion are usually driver error, not vehicle mechanical failure. Until some way to enforce safe driving habits is found, the problem will continue to escalate.
In regards to the 24/75 split, every few years a news story pops up about improving that disaster, and then the subject fades away. I also lived in North Georgia and commuted to and from downtown Chattanooga for over 30 years. I have faced the interstate problems from both directions.
It will take an astronomical amount of money and time to "fix" that problem, and the inconvenience will increase during the course of the project. One side of that area is a swamp.
Until roads can be improved, determine that you as an individual will be a better driver, allow enough time to face the possibility of regular congestion, and communicate with officials on every level. Take responsibility for yourself.
Teddy Ladd
Chattanooga