This is a printer friendly version of an article from www.thedailytimes.com
To print this article open the file menu and choose Print.
Article published Apr 30, 2008 Area braces for extended I-40 closure
By Robert Norris of The Daily Times Staff
SmartFix40 — TDOT’s $275 million blockbuster — is set to open 12:01 a.m. Thursday in downtown Knoxville.
Ready or not, more than 100,000 motorists a day, including many Blount Countians, are about to be actors in this road show.
Over the next 14 months, “Malfunction Junction” will be ripped out and rebuilt into a modern interstate highway — something this inner-city, east-west connector was never designed to be.
The SmartFix40 concept of closing the interstate completely instead of keeping some lanes open during the roadwork is designed to cut construction time that could have extended two to three years.
It also, hopefully, will prevent five- to seven-mile-long traffic jams caused by constricting I-40 to one lane each way.
The barrier drops one minute after midnight tonight, but there are ways to lower the risk of getting trapped in traffic or lost on unfamiliar city streets. Here are options for Blount Countians traveling on I-40 during SmartFix40:
For those wanting to get on I-40 heading west, just get on the Pellissippi Parkway, as usual.
For Blount Countians not wanting to hook up with the interstate that far west, travel up Alcoa Highway (U.S. 129) to I-40 and bear left — again, just as usual. The fix work is all to the east.
If you’re wanting to go east on I-40 — say to Jefferson City or to a Smokies baseball game in Sevierville or farther on to Asheville, N.C. — you’ve got alternatives. You also could be in for a surprise.
From Alcoa Highway, veer right onto I-40 East and follow the detour signs. You’ll find yourself headed north on I-275.
Why? TDOT’s plan is to direct traffic onto I-640, looping around Knoxville to the north, avoiding the construction area entirely. TDOT has been directing truckers onto I-640 for weeks with new signs and lane markers at the eastside and westside interchanges with I-40.
When you’re already between the I-640 interchanges, driving eastbound off Alcoa Highway at the outskirts of the I-40 construction zone, TDOT still wants to get you onto the loop. Go with the flow and you’ll end up where I-640 crosses over Clinton Highway. Follow the I-40 East signs toward Asheville.
It’s a detour that adds miles to a trip, but it has the advantage of keeping motorists on the interstate.
For those wanting to drive into the city off I-40 East, take the Henley Street or James White Parkway exits to downtown Knoxville, or the Baxter Avenue exit off I-275 into North Knoxville.
From there, you’ll either need local knowledge of Knoxville streets, be able to read a map or be willing to stop and ask for directions.GPS mappers alerted
For those relying on electronic navigation — global positioning systems — TDOT spokesman Travis Brickey said the department has alerted the major manufacturers, such as Garmin and Magellan, about the changes, as well as Internet sites such as Google Maps and MapQuest. TDOT also has communicated with Navteq and Tele Atlas, the two firms that provide mapping information to the GPS and Internet map companies.
To avoid SmartFix40 altogether, instead of driving all the way up Alcoa Highway to I-40, turn off Alcoa onto Gov. John Sevier Highway in Knoxville. After looping through southeast Knox County, take a right onto Strawberry Plains Pike and you’re on your way to I-40.
Stay on Gov. John Sevier Highway to the end, and you’ll hit Asheville Highway. A right turn takes you to Andrew Johnson Highway toward Jefferson City. A left turn and short drive carries you across the Holston River bridge to I-40 east of the I-640 connection.
For those who don’t want to drive so far north or east, there’s another option.
On Alcoa Highway, cross the J.E. “Buck” Karnes Bridge at the University of Tennessee agriculture campus and make the horseshoe turn to Neyland Drive.
At the traffic light, turn left onto Neyland, go eastbound past Thompson-Boling Arena and Neyland Stadium. Here’s a part that can be tricky the first time. A wrong turn gets you back onto city streets and the wrong direction on the interstate.
When Neyland Drive splits left to James White Parkway or right to Hall of Fame Drive, bear left. (Hall of Fame Drive takes you west.) Keep following the I-40 East signs and James White Parkway will channel you eastbound onto the interstate. You’ll merge into traffic a few hundred yards away from the I-40 interchange with Cherry Street, nearer to eastside locations, such as Chilhowee Park.
That should get you there — for now. As conditions change over this 14-month production, TDOT directors will be adjusting the SmartFix40 script.