Work was in full swing Tuesday morning as paving and striping were being done on the final phase of the (SR 362) Gap Creek Road project. The work area is on the final section of the project between W. G Street and West Elk Ave., which is still closed to traffic. Additionally, road construction crews closed one westbound lane of West Elk Ave. while work continues.
Mark Nagi, community relations officer with Tennessee Department of Transportation, said the electrical subcontractor will be working toward completing installation of the traffic signal loop detection system in the roadway pavement in conjunction with the completion of paving and pavement markers by Wednesday or Thursday.
Then, the traffic signal system at W. Elk Ave. and SR 362 will be set to a temporary flash mode for seven days to introduce the signal to the motoring public. After the seven-day flash period ends, the signal will be placed in normal operation mode and the remaining section of the roadway will be opened to traffic.
Following the opening of this final section, the remaining part of the project will be the planting of trees in late November, placing the project completion date on or before November 30.
The major part of the project was completed and opened to the public in August. The state highway project made improvements along the existing Gap Creek Road as well as constructing a new section of highway that is now being called the Mary Patton Highway.
The focus of the project was to create what Nagi called an “alignment betterment” that made the highway a better choice for commuters. The old Gap Creek Road was narrow and curvy in portions. The new highway is wider and does not have as many curves, Nagi said.
“The primary reason for this project was to provide a safer roadway and better alignment for the motoring public,” he added.
This project called for Gap Creek Road to have 12-foot traffic lanes, 10-foot paved shoulders, a 14-foot center turn lane, and right and left turn lanes at the traffic signalized West G Street and West Elk Avenue intersections, according to Nagi.
The current project cost is $41,080,918.03, which puts the project coming in under estimated costs, and includes the addition of six miles of highway, 18 retaining walls and three connectors.
The Gap Creek Road project has been in the works for more than a decade. Former Tennessee State Rep. the late Ralph Cole began work on the project while he served as Carter County’s representative in the state Legislature.
The project began after heavy traffic flow on the roadway raised concerns of safety with the state.
Many motorists used the road as a bypass around the heavier traffic in Elizabethton and the numerous traffic lights along the main roads.
As the amount of traffic increased, so too did the number of motor vehicle accidents on the narrow and curvy roadway according to TDOT.
Even though planning for the project began more than a decade ago, it took several years for construction to finally begin.
Construction on the project has seen some delays as crews worked around winter weather and waited on materials to be fabricated. The project, originally scheduled to be finished this past May, was delayed, forcing the completion date to be pushed back more than once.