Tdot Road Conditions

Tdot Road Conditions:In its first full day of its reopening after the rock fall last October, tens of thousands of cars rolling again on I-40 from eastern Tennessee, North Carolina.

While the closure of Interstate create major headaches for drivers and financial devastation for local businesses, may have been a glimmer of hope for construction equipment.

TDOT was able to wrap several repairs scheduled early due to lack of traffic. Normally, repairs will have created miles of traffic congestion and cost the state more money.

“After the collapse of rock, changed the schedule for a lot of routine maintenance activities,” said Steve Borden, TDOT Region of a director. “Those are things that probably would have made later in the year in the summer. With us you can work the months when there was no traffic, it was safer for our workers and did the work faster.”

The construction of roads without traffic is also cheaper for the state. Traffic control for general maintenance, costing the state an estimated $ 575 per day.

“We were able to make some rejuvenation. Drivers will also notice the highway is much cleaner. We cut back the trees that would normally present a danger,” said Borden.

TDOT also was able to stabilize the various points rockslides problems and install safety measures.

“There are new fences and rock catchment rock bolting to hold those areas instead. Some areas have new drapes to keep the material that falls into the road,” said Borden.

Borden said TDOT improvements near Interstate upgrades and maintenance will be around five bridges near the border of North Carolina.

“We would have loved to get the bridges is performed when there was no traffic, but the way the budget works could not get any before the planned projects. Let’s start working on bridges this summer and stay away from any lane closures until 15 August, “said Borden.