TDOT and THP Gear Up for Manchester’s 2007 Bonnaroo Music Festival

NASHVILLE, Tenn., — The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) and the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) are preparing for the extra traffic generated by Manchester’s annual Bonnaroo music festival.  Each year a Manchester farm is the site of one of the biggest concerts in the nation, bringing with it increased traffic on the already busy I-24.  The 2007 Bonnaroo music festival begins on the evening of Thursday, June 14, and runs through Sunday, June 17, with the majority of traffic expected to arrive Thursday, June 14.

Over 80,000 people are expected to attend this year’s Bonnaroo, which means traffic will be much heavier in Manchester and surrounding areas during the festival period.  Travelers on I-24 will be impacted, as well as those using state routes and local roads.  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.

“Safe and efficient movement of all traffic in the Manchester area is our main objective again this year,” said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely.  “Through a coordinated effort, we worked with multiple agencies to ensure both Bonnaroo festival traffic and through traffic kept moving last year. While there were periods of heavy traffic, I-24 continued to flow uninterrupted throughout the festival period. It was a great success and we hope to see that again this year.”

Festival gates open Thursday, June 14 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.

“As in the past, we have worked very closely with TDOT, local law enforcement agencies and festival promoters to get ready for this year’s festival,” stated THP Colonel Mike Walker.  “Our main goal is keeping I‑24 clear and accident free and ensuring the safety of both travelers and festival-goers.  Troopers will be out in force not only working to control the congestion caused by Bonnaroo, but also aggressively enforcing our traffic laws.”

During Bonnaroo 2006, Troopers logged over 6,400 man-hours, worked 17 traffic crashes (1 fatality, 4 injury, and 12 property damage crashes), and wrote 300 citations and 7 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 and Nashville offices 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 13 through June 18:

A map of Bonnaroo detour routes can be found on the home page of the TDOT website at www.tennessee.gov/tdot.

During the festival motorists should call 511 from any mobile or land line phone for traffic updates. You may also find up to date traffic information on the TDOT SmartWay website at www.tennessee.gov/tdot/tdotsmartway/.