July 4th Travelers Don´t Need to Worry About TDOT Construction

Commissioner Stops Construction for Four Days During Holiday Period

Nashville, Tenn.—There will be no road construction or lane closures taking place on Tennessee’s interstates or major state routes during the Fourth of July holiday period, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT).

TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely has instructed all of the department’s crews and contractors to stop road construction work from 3p.m. Friday, June 30, 2006, through 9:00 a.m. Wednesday, July 5. This will provide maximum roadway capacity to the millions of motorists expected to travel through the state this holiday travel period.

“We do not want to interfere with people’s holiday travel plans and pleasure,” stated Commissioner Nicely. “It’s much more important to make sure that folks are able to get to where they need to go safely without long delays than it is to try to squeeze in a few more days of construction work.”

There may be some lane closures in place on long-term construction projects. Drivers should obey all posted speed limits, particularly in construction zones, even when workers are not present. The slower speeds are necessary due to the temporary layout of the roadway in construction zones and will be strictly enforced.

According to AAA Auto Club South, travel will be up slightly this Fourth of July holiday with projections up nationwide by 1.2% compared to 2005. AAA is forecasting a 3.2 percent increase in auto travel for the southeastern region of the U.S. In Tennessee, 715,555 of the state’s residents are expected to drive somewhere for the holiday.

For the most current road conditions including incident information and road construction updates, you can always go to the TDOT web site’s dynamic TDOT SmartWay road information system at this link http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/tdotsmartway/.