The news: If you’ve sat in that eastbound I-40 exit line at Airline Road, help is on the schedule. The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) and the Town of Arlington plan to rebuild the I-40 interchange at State Route 205 (Airline Road, Exit 25). TDOT’s 10-Year Project Plan schedules construction to begin in fiscal year 2027.

What’s changing: Here’s what TDOT’s project page lists:

  • Eastbound exit ramp: Widened to two left-turn lanes plus one channelized right-turn lane.
  • Westbound on-ramp: Widened to two lanes before it tapers back to the existing ramp.
  • Airline Road: Widened through the interchange to two travel lanes each way, with a continuous two-way left-turn lane.
  • New signal: A traffic light at Airline Road and Arlington Trails.

When will it be done? TDOT’s page lists the completion date as “TBD.” The project is still “under development.”

Who’s paying? It’s part of TDOT’s Statewide Partnership Program. Under that program, a town chips in local money to speed up a project on the state’s roads. Arlington is paying a portion. The rest comes from the state’s Transportation Modernization Fund and regular federal and state sources. TDOT’s page doesn’t list a cost estimate or the town’s share.

How we got here: Because of delays and congestion at the interchange, Arlington ran a feasibility study. It looked at converting the current signal-controlled diamond interchange and flagged a “dumbbell roundabout” design, which swaps the two signals for roundabouts, as a good candidate. TDOT says roundabouts would bring safety benefits, too. Arlington submitted the project to TDOT’s partnership program in 2023. TDOT called it a strong candidate and put it in its 10-Year Project Plan.

Heads up: The current plan described on TDOT’s page uses widened ramps and lanes plus a new signal, not roundabouts. TDOT’s page doesn’t say why.

Questions? TDOT lists Nichole Lawrence, Region 4 communications officer, as the media contact, and Eli Jones, Region 4 project management, as the project contact.

Why it matters: Exit 25 is the main way in and out of Arlington from I-40. Any work there will touch a lot of commutes, so we’ll keep watching for a start date.

Sources: TDOT: Interstate 40 Interchange at Airline Road.

Photo: Bneu2013 / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)