Heavy construction work is scheduled to begin March 1 on revamping Interstate 440 in Nashville, announces the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
The $152 million project will lead to long-term lane closures through its expected completion date of August 2020, according to TDOT. Work will begin on medians, leading to traffic shifts, with the entire 7.6-mile corridor between I-24 and I-40 under heavy construction by early spring.
TDOT says the contractor, Kiewit Infrastructure South Group, will work 24 hours a day, six days a week starting in March.
The first phase of the work involves removing the elevated grassy median and rubblizing the 10-inch-thick concrete on the inside lanes and then applying an asphalt overlay. After that work is completed, traffic will be shifted to inside lanes and work will being on the outside lanes. The corridor will be widened from four to six lanes, with the additional lanes being built at the former median. The project also involves improving interstate on and off ramps.
TDOT says 100,000 vehicles travel the road each day, and that much of its concrete is in bad shape and needs to be removed. I-440 was built in 1987 and not designed for the heavier traffic of today. The project is designed to increase safety and reduce congestion.
The design-build project is being funded through the state’s IMPROVE Act, which includes revenues from a 6-cent gas and 10-cent diesel tax increase that will be completely phased in by July.