Interstate 440 – it’s infamous for its potholes, traffic, and soon, construction.

Work has already started on a nearly $153 million Tennessee Department of Transportation project, but that phase is only the beginning



“There will be shoulder closures throughout the corridor,” said TDOT Project Manager Clayton Markham. “There is some noise wall work going on, kind of the preliminary early work that we have going on to get ready for the major reconstruction work.”



That major reconstruction work begins in early 2019.



“When the big work starts in February to remove the concrete median, all the drivers are definitely going to feel it,” TDOT spokeswoman Kathryn Schulte said.

RELATED: New concerns rise as more details released on I-440 reconstruction project

Schulte said the construction will be ongoing 24 hours a day and I-440 will be reduced to two lanes in each direction during the day and one lane from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Those closures are expected to last until August of 2020.



“What we wanted to do was get in and do all the work that was needed looking way down the road, so we’re not going to have to come back in here after a really rough project on drivers and do another one a few years later,” Schulte explained. “We wanted to knock everything out.”



The end result will be an extra lane of traffic in each direction and a new asphalt surface to replace the concrete paving, which has been the source of noise and potholes for years.



“440 has been a long time in the making. For the last several years we’ve been really wanting to get that pavement fixed, but the problem was funding,” Schulte said. “We knew this was going to be a very expensive project, even just to do the minimum, just to fix the pavement. It was just not in our budget to do it.”



The funding finally came after the IMPROVE Act was passed by the Tennessee legislature in 2017 to help fund the state’s $10 billion backlog in road and bridge projects.



“I’m just glad I’m not going to pop my tires on that,” said Nashville driver Aaron Thompson. “I popped my tires on there a couple times. On [my] rickety old truck, it doesn’t take much, but it’s nice to drive on some fresh pavement and not concrete.”



Thompson commutes to work on I-440 every day. While he knows drivers are dreading the headaches lane closures will bring, he works in construction and knows it’s a necessary evil.



“I kind of see it from a construction point; it’s got to get done,” Thompson said.



TDOT said once this project is done, I-440 shouldn’t need any major work, other than routine repaving, for possibly decades to come.

“Drivers can look forward to smooth pavement and a little bit more capacity,” Schulte said. “It’s going to be a great roadway, but we’ve got some construction ahead of us before we get there.”



The I-440 project also includes improved noise walls, lighting and electronic message boards.

To see TDOT’s timeline for each stage of the project and scheduled lane closures, click here.

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