Interstate 124 
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  I-24
From:  in Chattanooga (Hamilton County)
To:  at the Tennessee River in Chattanooga (Hamilton County)
Total Length:  about 1.8 miles
ROUTE LOG
I-24, US 27 SB: 0 - 0
EXIT 1 - Main St: 0.6 - 0.6
EXIT 1AB (old exit 2) - TN 316: 0.5 - 1.1
EXIT 1C (old exit 3) - TN 389: 0.4 - 1.5
US 27 NB, TN 29: 0.3 - 1.8

 Creation:  First appeared in 1955 in the infamous Yellow Book, as a proposed Interstate spur in Chattanooga.  This had been designated H24 as a placeholder in earlier documents. AASHO approved the number 124 in August 1958.
Adjustments:  The segment from TN 316 and the Olgiati Bridge opened in 1959.
I-124 was connected to I-24 about 1963.

1961 RMcN

I-124 opened on nortern half
1961 RMcN
1964 Official

I-124 opened to I-24
1964 Official

Posting:  Not posted since about 1985 when US 27 was added to the freeway, though one shield at each end existed roughly 1999-2003.
Improvements:  Upon opening, I-124 was 6-laned south of TN 316 and 4 lanes north of it.
In 2003, I-124 was 6-laned on the Olgiati Bridge
In 2021, I-124 was 8 laned from I-24 to TN 316; 6 laned from TN 316 to the Olgiati Bridge; 8-laned on the bridge itself
Comments:  One theory behind the lack of I-124 signage is that TDOT wants to emphasize the US 27 freeway, which extends over 20 miles beyond the end of I-124.
The mid-1960s vintage of I-124 really showed until its rebuild in the late 2010s, in its narrow ramps and tight curves, especially just south of the river. 
In the late 1990s, the city suggested replacing the antiquated freeway with a surface boulevard.  The state refused, and shifted focus to completing the Tennessee River bridge replacement.  With all that finished, a logical extension of I-124 would be up to US 127, if not all the way to TN 111 at Soddy-Daisy.

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Page last modified 16 November, 2024