Interstate 440, a seven-mile stretch of highway in Nashville that opened in 1987, underwent a $9-million rehabilitation in 2009. Expected to last 10 to 15 years, the repair job—slab replacement and surface diamond grinding, to provide texture and reduce hydroplaning—already is showing potholes. The Tennessee Dept. of Transportation is studying whether the segment can be rehabbed a second time or if replacement is the best next move.
More than 100,000 vehicles—about 8% of them heavy trucks—travel the highway daily, more than double the volume projected in 1982. “We have identified I-440 as a short-term need” for repair or replacement, says Paul Degges, TDOT’s chief engineer. “The pavement is bumpy, but it’s not slick. It’s safe.”