CARYVILLE — Five months after the deadline passed to finish adding truck lanes on Interstate 75 in Campbell County, TDOT is looking for a new contractor after ending the contract with Potter South on October 10.
Construction has caused headaches and delays for drivers along a 4.6-mile stretch of I-75 between Mile Marker 135.5 and 140.1 since work began in Spring 2016.
In a statement to 10News, TDOT spokesman Mark Nagi said:
"Due to the complexity of the project, and because of the contractor's workload and the need to complete this project expeditiously, we felt that it was in the best interest of the Department to cancel this contract for convenience. Both the state and the contractor were agreeable to this decision."
Nagi said the department is accepting new bids for the remainder of the project through November 16.
For commuters who frequently drive from Scott and Campbell Counties to Knoxville, the announcement comes after a period of confusion.
"We're kind of living in the dark," said Avery Sexton, who drives through the construction zone multiple times a week. "When you drive through there and there's nobody working on the site for weeks on end, you wonder what's going on."
When TDOT posted the proposed contract to solicit bids, the contract lists a completion date by the end of Sept. 2019.
"What is at least comforting is knowing that the rebid process has a very aggressive timeline for getting a completion for someone who's taking over a project," Sexton said.
The project was originally scheduled to wrap up by May 2018.