While Tennessee Department of Transportation is in its final phase of widening Interstate 40 through Jackson, City Planner Stan Pilant appeared before the Jackson City Council to inform them about a budget amendment of a little more than $400,000 needed for the City’s part in another TDOT project on the highway.
TDOT has plans to widen the Christmasville Road bridge over 40 at Exit 85 as well as redo the interchange between 40 and Christmasville.
“They’ll widen the bridge to five lanes, and the road itself will be widened to five lanes from the bridge to the traffic light where you turn into the Pilot truck stop,” Pilant said. “Then it’ll taper off after the traffic light almost to Bedford White Road.”
The entire project will cost $28 million, and the City’s part of the funding is about 7% because of the work on Christmasville outside the corridor of 40. Metropolitan Planning Organization is taking care of the majority of the City’s part with the Council needing to vote on the $400,000.
The Council voted unanimously 7-0 to approve the amendment for the City’s part of the project.
Marda Wallace was absent for Tuesday’s meeting, and Paul Taylor abstained from voting since he owns property within the immediate vicinity of the project.
Before the vote, Richard Donnell asked Pilant about timing of the project, which is estimated to be in the range of three years.
According to information Pilant gave during agenda review on Thursday, once the project is complete the on and off ramps connecting 40 and Christmasville Road will be the looping type that take up less space as opposed to the diamond type currently at the interchange where drivers exit or enter 40 about a quarter-mile from Christmasville Road.
Brandon Shields, brandon@jacksonpost.news
Please explain this paragraph: “According to information Pilant gave during agenda review on Thursday, once the project is complete the on and off ramps connecting 40 and Christmasville Road will be the looping type that take up less space as opposed to the diamond type currently at the interchange where drivers exit or enter 40 about a quarter-mile from Christmasville Road.”
Does this mean it’s going to be a cloverleaf??
Also, WHY do they wait until all the I40 work is finished (after 5 years of delays and blocked lanes) to do this so we have to endure 3 more years of blocked lanes??