Expect traffic snarls with Concord Road construction

Construction for the long-anticipated Concord Road widening/improvements is ready to begin.

“The contractor (Summers-Taylor, Inc.) is planning to start work after the first of the new year,” said Mark Nagi, Region I (East Tennessee) Community Relations officer with Tennessee Department of Transportation. “They’ll start on the southern end of the project and make their way north towards the signaled intersection of Concord Road and Turkey Creek.”

With overall length of the project less than one mile, “Construction limits for the Concord Road widening project begin near Waterford Drive and end at the roundabout at Northshore Drive,” Nagi said. “The first phase for traffic control begins at Loop Road with a lane closure in the southbound direction and is in place until the Turkey Creek intersection.

“The roundabout at Northshore Drive should not be affected during this first phase,” he added. “The contractor is permitted to have temporary lane closures from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., except for final paving, which is only permitted from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sundays through Thursdays.”

With Summers-Taylor accepting a bid of $10,192,277.64, “the due date is on or before Oct. 31, 2020,” Nagi said.

Traffic control signs already are in place.