Department of Safety Internet - TDOT and THP Prepare for 2008 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival

Nashville, Tennessee --- Every year in mid-June, the city of Manchester temporarily becomes the sixth most populous city in Tennessee. It’s almost time again for the annual Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival - one of the premier concerts in the nation and the Tennessee Department of Transportation and Tennessee Highway Patrol are gearing up to ensure a smooth traffic flow during the event. The 2008 Bonnaroo music festival begins on the evening of Thursday, June 12, and runs through Sunday, June 15, with the heaviest traffic expected on Thursday, June 12.
The festival, which is held on a former farm in Manchester, attracts over 80,000 people each year to the Coffee County area, which means the area in and around Manchester will see much heavier traffic during the festival period. Travelers on I-24, as well as state routes and local roads, will be impacted by the heavy volume of festival-goers. TDOT and the THP have worked closely with the City of Manchester Police Department, the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department and festival promoters throughout the year on a plan to efficiently handle both through traffic and vehicles entering and exiting the festival area.

“Planning for the Bonnaroo event is a team effort,” said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely. “TDOT has once again coordinated with multiple state and local agencies to ensure safe, efficient travel during the festival for both Bonnaroo attendees as well as other motorists. Our goal is to provide festival-goers with safe and quick access to the festival site while keeping traffic moving on I-24. We have been very successful with this plan during past festivals, and we expect to see the same or better results this year.”

All festival gates open Thursday, June 12 at 6:00 a.m. CDT. State Troopers will be on the job 24 hours a day beginning Wednesday night, patrolling and controlling traffic on I-24. The THP will work both on the ground and in the air, using helicopters to assess the scene from above and relay important information to the marked patrol cars and motorcycles on the ground.
“Our goal is to make sure that I-24 stays accident-free and clear for festival-goers and other travelers,” stated THP Colonel Mike Walker. “Nearly 100 Tennessee State Troopers will be working around the clock to help make that happen. In addition to aggressively enforcing traffic laws, we will be working with TDOT, local law enforcement and Bonnaroo organizers to handle all the extra traffic.”

During Bonnaroo 2007, Troopers logged over 7,300 man-hours, worked 25 traffic crashes (7 injury, and 18 property damage crashes), and wrote 359 citations and 64 warnings. A breakdown of all THP-issued citations during last year’s festival period is attached to this release.
HELP units from TDOT’s Chattanooga office will also be in the festival area to assist with traffic management during peak traffic times and to aid any motorists who require assistance.

In addition to having HELP trucks on the scene, TDOT and other agencies are taking the following steps on the dates surrounding Bonnaroo beginning June 11 through June 16:

Efforts will be concentrated on keeping interstate traffic flowing.
Exit 111 (SR 55) will be used as the main festival exit. Exits 97, 105, 112 (temporary exit on westbound side only), 117 and 127 are alternate exits if congestion occurs on the interstate.
TDOT maintenance units will be posted throughout the festival region, and maintenance personnel will be on call all weekend.
TDOT will provide variable message signs to warn drivers of delays.
There will be no construction-related lane closures on I-24 near the Bonnaroo festival area between 3 p.m. June 11 and June 16.
Median crossovers will be guarded to prevent motorists from parking in the crossovers and blocking emergency vehicles.
Festival traffic will be kept in the right lane and/or on the shoulder of the interstate, allowing through traffic to utilize the left travel lane unimpeded.
Emergency vehicles will use county roads that will be kept at low volume.
Bonnaroo promoters issued early news releases to the trucking industry and other sources to alert the traveling public to festival times, location, and alternate routes.
Temporary communications towers are in place to improve emergency communications.

During the festival motorists should call 511 from any mobile or land line phone for traffic updates or visit the TDOT website at www.tn.gov/tdot where you will also find information on alternate routes.

The Tennessee Department of Safety’s mission is (www.tennessee.gov/safety) to ensure the safety and general welfare of the public. The department encompasses the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Office of Homeland Security and Driver License Services. General areas of responsibility include law enforcement, safety education, motorist services and terrorism prevention.