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The 2008 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival kicks off this weekend and, with nearly 80,000 people coming to the Coffee County area, the Tennessee Department of Transportation and Tennessee Highway Patrol are getting ready.

The giant music festival begins Thursday evening and runs through Sunday, with the heaviest traffic expected Thursday. As a result, travelers on Interstate 24, as well as state routes and local roads, will be impacted.

TDOT and the THP have worked closely with the Manchester Police Department, Coffee County Sheriff's Department and festival promoters throughout the year on a plan to efficiently handle both through traffic and vehicles entering and exiting the festival area.

"Planning for the Bonnaroo event is a team effort," said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely. "Our goal is to provide festival-goers with safe and quick access to the festival site while keeping traffic moving on I-24. We have been very successful with this plan during past festivals, and we expect to see the same or better results this year."

All festival gates open Thursday at 6 a.m. Troopers will be on the job 24 hours a day beginning Wednesday night, patrolling and controlling traffic on I-24. The THP will work both on the ground and in the air, using helicopters to assess the scene from above and relay important information to marked patrol cars and motorcycles on the ground.

THP Col. Mike Walker said nearly 100 troopers will be working around the clock to help make that happen.

"In addition to aggressively enforcing traffic laws, we will be working with TDOT, local law enforcement and Bonnaroo organizers to handle all the extra traffic," Walker said.

HELP units from TDOT's Chattanooga office will also be in the festival area to assist with traffic management during peak traffic times and aid any motorists who require assistance.

Beginning Wednesday, efforts will be concentrated on keeping interstate traffic flowing. Exit 111 (State Route 55) will be used as the main festival exit. Exits 97, 105, 112 (temporary exit on westbound side only), 117 and 127 are alternate exits if congestion occurs on the interstate.

TDOT maintenance units will be posted throughout the festival region, and maintenance personnel will be on call all weekend. They will also provide variable message signs to warn drivers of delays.

There will be no construction-related lane closures on I-24 near the Bonnaroo festival area between 3 p.m. Wednesday and Monday. Median crossovers will be guarded to prevent motorists from parking in crossovers and blocking emergency vehicles.

Festival traffic will be kept in the right lane and/or on the shoulder of the interstate, allowing through traffic to utilize the left travel lane unimpeded. Emergency vehicles will use county roads that will be kept at low volume.

Bonnaroo promoters have issued early news releases to the trucking industry and other sources to alert the traveling public to festival times, location, and alternate routes. Also, temporary communications towers are in place to improve emergency communications.

During the festival, motorists should call 511 from any mobile or land line phone for traffic updates, or visit the TDOT web site at www.tn.gov/tdot, which also has information on alternate routes.