TDOT Will Change I-26 Exit Numbers Next Week
I-181 signs will be changed to I-26 in Sullivan County
Knoxville, Tenn. - The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) announced today that sign crews will begin installing new exit numbers along I-26 Monday, March 5, 2007, weather permitting. TDOT is changing the mileage and exit numbers in order to meet the Federal Highway Administration’s west to east interstate mileage designation requirements. Interstate 181 shields on signs in Sullivan County will also be replaced by Interstate 26 shields.
“This is a significant change for this region and for the state,” said Paul Degges, TDOT Chief Engineer. “When the route was designated I-181 / U.S. 23, mile marker one was in Unicoi County, so to bring I-26 into compliance with Federal Highway Administration requirements, mile marker number one is now in Kingsport with the numbers ending at the North Carolina state line,”
Work crews will begin making the sign changes at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, March 5th at the Flag Pond Road exit in Unicoi County and will proceed west toward Kingsport. Once the west bound side is complete, crews will reverse direction and proceed east toward the North Carolina state line. Installation of the 284 signs is estimated to take 11 working days, weather permitting.
“This will be a continuous effort because we want to get the new signs up and installed as quickly as possible. However, there will be a transition period when exit numbers will be different from one interchange to another, so motorists need to be alert while traveling I-26,” said Fred Corum, TDOT Regional Transportation Director. “To aid motorists during the transition, the old exit numbers will be displayed along with the new exit numbers for approximately 24 months.”
The re-designation of I-181 to I-26 in Sullivan County was required by the new federal transportation bill, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU).
See examples at http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/news/2007/030107.htm.