Interstate 40 Near Downtown Nashville Closed for Bridge Repairs This Weekend

 

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Department of Transportation crews will close a short section of Interstate 40 near downtown Nashville this weekend as a major bridge repair project gets underway. In order to expedite the bridge repairs, I-40 will be closed during two separate weekends. The first closure will take place in the westbound lanes only beginning this Friday, April 3, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. The interstate will reopen no later than 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 6, 2009.  The second closure, planned for the weekend of April 17, 2009, will affect the eastbound lanes.

  

“We have several bridges on I-40 near downtown Nashville that are in need of significant repairs,” said TDOT Chief Engineer Paul Degges. “By closing this small section of Interstate, we can complete work on three of the bridges in a fraction of the time it would take if we restricted the lanes.  We realize this will be an inconvenience to motorists, but we will work hard to make sure the closures go as smoothly as possible.”

 

Beginning this Friday, I-40 Westbound will close from the I-24/I-440 split to the I-24/I-40 split near 2nd & 4th Avenues.  During this time, two bridges in the westbound lanes of I-40 will be repaired.  One bridge crosses over Fairfield Avenue, the other over Brown’s Creek.  Neither bridge has had any major repairs since their completion in the early 1960’s. Work will be performed on various areas of the bridges, including the replacement of deteriorating concrete on the bridges’ surfaces.

 

TDOT will use its many overhead message boards across the city to direct motorists around the closure.  Several portable message boards will also be placed at strategic points on Nashville interstates to alert drivers of detour routes.  Most of the traffic will be diverted to Interstate 440.  TDOT HELP trucks and Metro Nashville Police will be working all weekend to keep I-440 clear of crashes or other delays. In addition, information on the closure will be broadcast on the TDOT SmartWAY Highway Advisory Radio station (1680 AM) and on 511.

 

The bridge repairs will be completed in conjunction with a project to resurface a section of Interstate 40 in downtown Nashville. New asphalt will be placed on I-40 from the I-40/I-65 split just west of downtown to just past the I-40/I-24 split on the southeast side of Nashville. The resurfacing work will be done during the evening and overnight hours and is expected to be complete by late summer.

 

Attached to this release is a map detailing the westbound closure, as well as a map showing the messages that will be displayed on overhead and portable message boards over the weekend. For more information on this or any other TDOT road construction project or for weather-related road closure information, visit the TDOT Web site's dynamic TDOT SmartWay Information System at http://www.tn.gov/tdot/tdotsmartway/.  Travelers can also dial 511 from any land-line or cellular phone to access valuable information about travel conditions anytime, or log on to www.TN511.com.

 

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