Tennessee Department of Transportation crews are set to begin bridge demolition Monday night, Oct. 26, on Wattendorf Memorial Highway over Interstate 24 at Exit 117 in Coffee County, prompting nightly I-24 closures for about two to three weeks, according to TDOT. The work is part of a bridge replacement project, the department said.
Closures are scheduled from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. each night, with traffic routed over the Exit 117 ramps, TDOT said. Crews will handle one direction of I-24 at a time, directing traffic up an exit ramp, across Wattendorf Memorial Highway and back onto the interstate, according to the announcement.
Wattendorf Memorial Highway will be closed to through traffic across the bridge during the work, and drivers will have to enter I-24 and travel to the next exit to turn around, TDOT said.
For the first week, I-24 eastbound lanes will be routed over the Exit 117 ramps on the nights of Oct. 26, 27 and 28; westbound lanes will use the ramps on the nights of Oct. 29 and 30, according to TDOT. The department said traffic impacts are expected nightly during demolition and that additional schedules will be shared as the contractor provides them.
TDOT said it has notified Arnold Air Force Base and the Coffee County Industrial Park, and message boards are in place. Travelers can check the TDOT SmartWay Map for construction and traffic updates or call 511 for statewide travel information, the announcement said.
