When will road work on I-640 in Knoxville be done? | Know Your Knox
Highway construction always seems to take longest when it's along your commute home, especially where there are miles and miles to repave.
For more than a year, traffic on I-640 between I-275 and I-40 in northeast Knoxville has been reduced to two lanes and to 55 miles per hour as crews work to reconstruct the road in the second phase of an extensive project.
But there is light at the end of the auxiliary interstate. The project for now is on time for completion by Nov. 30, says Mark Nagi, the Tennessee Department of Transportation's spokesperson for East Tennessee.
On the eastbound side of the highway, work was stalled in May because the road's grade was higher than anticipated. The high grade could make it tough to ensure consistency in the structure and thickness of the pavement, as well as the road's ability to drain water.
Engineers worked with design and operations staff to resolve the issues, and a timeline posted to the TDOT website says work had resumed by July 3.
"At this time we do anticipate this project being complete on schedule," Nagi said. "There is pending additional work for repairs to the bridges within the project limits that may result in a time extension, but that’s something we will have more of a gauge on down the line."
Original construction of I-640 was completed in 1982, the same year as the World's Fair in Knoxville. It now serves as a connector for 66,000 to 87,000 cars a day and was in need of reconstruction, according to TDOT.
Rogers Group, a Nashville-based construction company, won the contract for the more than $21 million project.
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What has the I-640 construction accomplished so far?
Phase 1 of the project, from I-40 on the west side of the city to I-275, was completed in 2021. It required one layer of asphalt be removed and repaved.
Phase 2, by contrast, required a process called rubblization, in which the concrete underneath the road's asphalt layer is smashed into rubble by hydraulic machines. This rubble, in turn, becomes a secure base for the new road. Rubblization was completed in September 2022 for both the eastbound and westbound lanes.
Nagi said the contractor has completed laying the first layer of asphalt over the rubblized concrete and is moving into the final stages of the road reconstruction.
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When will the I-640 construction be done?
Next, crews will lay the binding layer of asphalt on the road, followed by the surface layer. Once these layers are completed, all that will be left is to paint the road and complete other miscellaneous tasks.
Drivers can expect two-lane traffic to continue through the end of the project. There also will be intermittent nighttime lane closures, though these will be temporary.
TDOT has an FAQ page for the project, where it answers questions, such as the reason the road deteriorated (it's natural) and whether ramps will be repaired (they will). Get more of your questions answered at www.tn.gov/tdot/projects.
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Daniel Dassow is a reporting intern focusing on trending and business news. Phone 423-637-0878. Email daniel.dassow@knoxnews.com.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why is I-640 road work in Knoxville taking so long?
