9/4/2003
Chattanooga, TN – During a media conference today at City Hall, Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker laid out the schedules for the final phases of construction on several ongoing projects in the downtown.
Mayor Corker said, “We know that our citizens have been inconvenienced over the past few months as a tremendous amount of work has been undertaken in the downtown. While the work is not yet complete, we are entering a final phase where we can ‘see light and the end of the tunnel’ and soon the landscape of major portions of our city will be changed. We appreciate the patience and tolerance of our community as we work to complete these projects that will dramatically transform and improve our city.”
The current construction schedule is being carefully timed to cause the least inconvenience possible for motorists in Chattanooga. The Mayor announced that the city and TDOT are nearing competition on several major projects in the city and outlined the following timelines for these projects:
- Third Street at Lindsay will be reopened to traffic on Monday afternoon, providing an important North/South connection especially for motorists going across the river from Amnicola Highway.
- Construction on the final quadrant of the intersection at 4th Street and Georgia (near Veteran’s Bridge) will begin on Tuesday morning. While there will be fewer travel lanes for traffic on Georgia, an additional lane for 4th Street at Georgia Avenue will be added as part of this phase of construction. Lanes on Georgia will begin to be reopened in 3-4 weeks and the entire intersection will be opened to traffic in approximately 7 weeks. The work on this part of the intersection had been temporarily delayed for several days until the Third Street work (mentioned above) was complete to reopen an important travel option for motorists. Details of this closure are outlined at the end of this release.
- TDOT’s work on the Third Street Bridge is ahead of schedule and the Bridge is planned to open to traffic by Thanksgiving of this year.
- The MLK/McCallie changes will begin immediately after the Third Street Bridge opens. If the project remains on schedule, the conversion will likely be complete by the late part of December.
- The portion of Riverfront Parkway that is currently closed is scheduled to be reopened by February of 2004.
- The conversion of 4th Street to a two-way boulevard, providing a tremendous new east/west connection is moving ahead at a steady pace. The portion of 4th Street from Lookout to Lindsay is scheduled for completion by mid-October and the entire project will be open for traffic by mid-to-late January.
Beginning Tuesday, as the final and most difficult phase of construction at 4th and Georgia begins, drivers should be aware of the following changes:
- Travel on Georgia in either direction will be reduced to one lane at 4th Street.
- Right turns onto Veteran’s Bridge from 4th Street westbound will no longer be permitted. Traffic should detour via Lindsay and 5th streets.
- Traffic exiting Riverside Drive into the downtown will be routed off of Riverside Drive via the Lookout Street intersection.
- Southbound traffic entering Riverfront Parkway from Veteran’s Bridge ramp will be routed to the 2nd Street intersection to enter downtown.
- Beginning on Tuesday, one additional lane will be added outbound on 4th street at Georgia.
Police officers will be present Tuesday morning as these changes go into effect to direct traffic on Georgia Avenue at 5th Street and at Vine Street. Officers will remain in place at these intersections during rush hour for as many days as necessary for citizens to adjust to these changes.
Citizens are encouraged to vary their arrival and departure times and use alternate routes during this phase of construction. Suggested alternate routes include:
- Changing travel habits to use the Market Street Bridge or Olgiati Bridge.
- Motorists coming into town via Hixson Pike should consider using the C. B. Robinson Bridge rather than the Veteran’s Bridge.
- Traffic using Amnicola Highway should exit at Wilcox Boulevard and enter downtown from Holtzclaw.
For more information, contact Todd Womack, Communications Director, at 423-757-5168
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