The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) announced Monday that travelers will not be delayed by construction on Tennessee roads during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
As it did for the Thanksgiving holiday, the department will again halt “all lane closure activity on interstates and state highways in anticipation of higher traffic volumes across the state,” TDOT announced in a press release.
The department added that “no temporary lane closures will be allowed for construction on Tennessee roadways beginning at 6:00 a.m. Friday, December 23, 2022, through 6:00 a.m. on Monday, January 2, 2023.”
“With so many people expected to travel Tennessee roadways during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, keeping traffic moving and getting everyone to their destinations safely is our top priority,” TDOT Commissioner Butch Eley said in a statement. “As always, please wear your seatbelt, reduce your speed, avoid distractions, and never drink and drive.”
Even when lane closures are suspended, workers may remain on-site and some construction projects will also require long-term lane closures to ensure motorist safety, TDOT noted. In work zones, drivers should obey posted speed limits and drive safely, as TDOT warns that speeding in work zones can result in a $500 fine, plus court fees and higher insurance rates.
TDOT’s announcement comes as the American Automobile Association (AAA) predicts that an estimated 2.6 million Tennesseans will travel between December 23 and January 2 – with most of them driving.
Those who plan on driving during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays are encouraged by the Tennessee Highway Safety Office to “drive sober or get pulled over.”
Stay off Santa’s 🎅 naughty list. 📜 If you’re celebrating the holidays with a drink, designate a sober driver or call a cab 🚖 or rideshare 🚘 to get home safely. #DriveSober pic.twitter.com/hOFZ0f7h7h
— Tennessee Highway Safety Office (@TNHSO) December 19, 2022
“Stay off Santa’s naughty list. If you’re celebrating the holidays with a drink, designate a sober driver or call a cab or rideshare to get home safely,” the office wrote in a tweet.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Road Closed” by Tom Fisk.
