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TDOT getting ready to reconstruct crumbling eastern half of I-640 by first turning it into rubble

Patches and repairs are no longer cutting it, so the bumpy stretch of concrete interstate is about to get the much-needed makeover it needs.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Are you sick of bouncing around in your car or dodging deepening dips on Interstate 640 in Northeast Knoxville? You can bet the Tennessee Department of Transportation knows it and has heard about it for years. 

After many years of patchwork to keep that section of interstate together, TDOT is about to begin phase two of its I-640 makeover

"We know it's been an issue for folks in our area for quite a long time," said Mark Nagi with the Tennessee Department of Transportation. "In the weeks to come, you will see machinery moved into the area and we're going to have what's called rubblization."

The interstate opened around 1982 to give Knoxville a loop around the city just in time for the World's Fair. TDOT said the road sees nearly 87,000 vehicles drive over it every day, but the old concrete surfacing has reached its limit.

"Much of the existing road surface is in substandard condition and needs to be repaired or replaced. An extensive pavement project is needed for the six-lane facility," TDOT said.

The first phase of the project began by repaving the western half and is about to transition to the more-rugged eastern half. The state approved the second-phase contract in April, which is worth more than $21 million. Construction was planned to begin in late June.

Phase two is going to tackle the bumpier eastern half of I-640 that runs from I-275 to the I-40 corridor at Asheville Highway. That section is in particularly bad shape because the distressed concrete slabs that make up the road are faulting. 

Time has essentially broken the road into pieces, but that's not going to be a problem for road crews because they want to break it down into many more pieces.

"That's a process in which the existing concrete is basically pulverized into small pieces and that serves as the base for the new roadways," Nagi said. 

They plan to smash the existing concrete surface into rubble and use that as the base for a newly reconstructed and repaved road, which is an ideal option because it provides a solid new base for the road that will last for a long time while also limiting construction downtime on the interstate.

Drivers should expect lane closures on that section of I-640 in the near future. TDOT is planning to announce more concrete details about the second phase of the project on July 1. Rubblization is expected to be complete by the end of the year. Resurfacing is expected to begin next spring. 

"A little bit of time before all this work is complete but at the end of the day we expect this to be a safer and more efficient roadway for motorists for years to come," Nagi said. 

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