The goal of this project was to provide major safety improvements at the I-81 exit 14 interchange. Since the interchange was first constructed in the 1960s, truck traffic had increased by as much as 40 percent.
One of the key safety enhancements was to construct a northbound on-ramp to separate the northbound on- and off-ramps. The new northbound on-ramp eliminated the existing cloverleaf loops that forced northbound traffic exiting I-81 to weave among vehicles entering the interstate because they shared the same short acceleration/deceleration lane.
The project also included replacement of the two interstate bridges over Route 647 (Old Jonesboro Road); separation of the northbound exit and entrance ramps; widening of Old Jonesboro Road; modification of Dennison Drive; and the addition of traffic signals at the ramp intersections.
