The Winston Road Bridge spanning Interstate 40/75 in west Knoxville reopened Friday afternoon, November 19, six months ahead of the planned project schedule.

"We worked closely with the City of Knoxville and with nearby neighborhoods to minimize the impact of the closure on drivers," said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely. "We appreciate the efforts made by Blalock and Sons Construction to do quality work in a consolidated amount of time. This bridge is a vital link for the neighborhoods, the West Side YMCA and area businesses that depend on it daily."

"Completing the Winston Road Bridge in a timely manner was very important to the community, especially before the holidays," said Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam. "TDOT and the contractor went the extra mile to see that the bridge was completed as soon as possible."

The Winston Road Bridge replacement is part of the I-40 / I-75 improvement project and will upgrade the existing interstate to eight lanes with upgraded interchanges at Papermill Drive and West Hills Drive. The project also adds interstate access from Weisgarber and Montvue Roads. Approximately 165,000 vehicles pass through that section of I-40 / I-75 every day.

The original bridge was dismantled and a new bridge was constructed to accommodate the extra lanes being built on I-40/I-75. The demolition of the old bridge began last May. The project had an estimated completion date of May 2005. The contractor completed the new bridge and will have it open to traffic more than 6 months ahead of the schedule. As a result, the contractor will be awarded an early completion incentive of $450,000.