U.S. 27 lane shift smooths northbound kink

A traffic realignment was implemented Thursday night on U.S. Highway 27 North between the Olgiati Bridge and the Manning Street Bridge.

The realignment involved straightening out the leftward kinks in the two lanes that drivers enter when traveling northbound off the Olgiati Bridge, according to Ken Flynn, regional director of operations for TDOT.

Flynn said drivers will have a more direct route traveling from the bridge north.

The next step in the project, which began in the spring of 2012, is to start pulling the northbound and southbound lanes toward the outside in their respective directions, creating a larger split between the opposing traffic lanes on U.S. 27, Flynn said.

"We are also trying to remove the concrete barriers [between the northbound and southbound traffic] to make things more safe," Flynn said. "Removing pieces here and pieces there as we go along is the plan."

The construction on U.S. 27 is predicted to be complete by the end of February 2015. The completed project will have six new bridges and 33 retaining walls, three lanes in each direction, and added ramp acceleration and deceleration lanes at interchanges, according to TDOT's website.

Contact staff writer Kendi Anderson at kendi.anderson@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6592.

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