As part of the U.S. 27 widening project from I-24/U.S. 27 interchange to north of the Olgiati Bridge over the Tennessee River, the contractor will be performing a traffic shift tonight on U.S. 27 North, weather permitting.
On Friday, at 7 p.m.
through Saturday, at noon, the contractor will be shifting traffic on U.S. 27 North to the recently-constructed lanes along the east (right) side of the highway. The area of the shift will be from I-24 to MLK Blvd. During this complicated traffic shift, there will be some temporary ramp closures, and detours will be posted. As a final traffic adjustment, the new loop ramp from eastbound MLK Blvd. to U.S. 27 North will be opened, and the current left turn to the northbound ramp will be closed.
Motorists are advised to avoid the area during the traffic shift. Motorists who must travel on U.S. 27 North during this time period should be alert to changing conditions.
When the new work week begins on Monday morning, traffic on eastbound MLK Blvd. must get in the right lane and use the new loop ramp to access U.S. 27 North. They will have the same yield situation that the southbound MLK Blvd. and 4th St. ramps currently have. The U.S. 27 North on/off ramps to/from 4th St. will not be affected by this change. On the mainline of U.S. 27 North, traffic will transition from the new lanes back to the existing lanes immediately north of the MLK Blvd. overpass.
If the weather is adverse, the traffic shift will be moved from Friday-Saturday to Saturday-Sunday.
The public should remember that the speed limit on U.S. 27 in the construction zone is 45 MPH.
From your desktop or mobile device, get the latest construction activity and live streaming SmartWay traffic cameras at www.TNSmartWay.com/Traffic
Travelers can also dial 511 from any land-line or cellular phone for travel information, or follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TN511, and for statewide travel or Chattanooga area alerts @Chattanooga511 or any of TDOT’s other Twitter pages.
As always, drivers are reminded to use all motorist information tools wisely and Know Before You Go! by checking travel conditions before leaving for your destination. Drivers should never tweet, text or talk on a cell phone while behind the wheel.
In 2016, the Tennessee Department of Transportation lost three workers in the line of duty. All three were struck by passing motorists. Those tragedies bring the total number of TDOT lives lost to 112.