Bridge Inspection Prompts Closure of I-24 West On-Ramp for Repairs

Tennessee Department of Transportation crews have closed the I-24 West on-ramp from US-27 North (Rossville Boulevard) for repairs to the I-24 bridge over Rossville Boulevard.

A bridge inspection revealed damage to one of the outer steel bridge beams affecting only the on-ramp. This ramp will be closed for several weeks while repairs are performed. A signed detour will be in place directing drivers to I-24 West via 4th Avenue. All remaining lanes on the I-24 bridge over Rossville Boulevard are safe to traffic and will remain open. Drivers are encouraged to use caution when traveling through this area and more information will be released as it becomes available.

From your desktop or mobile device, get the latest construction activity and live streaming SmartWay traffic cameras at www.TNSmartWay.com/Traffic. Travelers can also dial 511 from any land-line or cellular phone for travel information, or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TN511 for statewide travel or Chattanooga area alerts @Chattanooga511 or any of TDOT’s other Twitter pages.

As always, drivers are reminded to use all motorist information tools wisely and Know Before You Go! by checking travel conditions before leaving for your destination. Drivers should never tweet, text, or talk on a cell phone while behind the wheel.

About Dick Cook

Dick Cook has lived in East Ridge since the Kennedy Administration when his parents bought a house on Marietta Street. Dick graduated from ERHS in 1976 before going on to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where he studied Political Science. Dick worked for the Chattanooga Free-Press and the Chattanooga Times Free Press for 22 years. Free-Press Sports Editor Roy Exum plucked him out of production in 1989 and gave him a job as a sports reporter. Dick covered everything from prep sports to the whitewater events on the Ocoee River for the 1996 Olympics. When Chattanooga's two paper's merged, he became the Crime Reporter covering both the Chattanooga Police and Fire Departments. He was among reporters who were honored by the Associated Press for the TFP's coverage of the 2002 fog-shrouded crash on I-75 in Catoosa County, Dick and his wife, Cathy, live on Marlboro Avenue where they are seen frequently chasing around their three grandsons.