Bonnaroo fans pose traffic challenges

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For the eighth year in a row, neighboring Manchester is gearing up to receive nearly 80,000 visitors from across the country as music lovers flock to one of the premiere summer music festivals, Bonnaroo.

That means more people will be on local roads, and as a result, the Tennessee Department of Transportation and Tennessee Highway Patrol are once again partnering again to ensure smooth traffic flow during the event.

The 2009 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival kicks off Thursday night and winds down Sunday night, with Thursday expected to be the heaviest traffic day -- media was warned that peak congestion hours would be from 5 a.m. Thursday through 5 p.m. Friday.

TDOT and the THP are working closely with the Manchester Police Department, the Coffee County Sheriff's Department and festival promoters to keep traffic moving on Interstate 24, while also getting Bonnaroonies to their destination. The agencies and festival promoters have worked throughout the year on a plan to efficiently handle traffic during the festival.

"The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is a major event in Coffee County, and as we've seen in the past, planning ahead for its impact is crucial," said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely.

All festival gates open Thursday at 7 a.m. and state troopers will be on the job 24 hours a day beginning tonight, patrolling and controlling traffic on Interstate 24.

TDOT and other agencies are taking the following steps on the dates surrounding Bonnaroo beginning today through June 15:

* Efforts will be concentrated on keeping interstate traffic flowing.

* Exit 111 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.

* TDOT will 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. today and Monday.

* Median crossovers will be guarded to prevent motorists from parking in the 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 issued early news releases to the trucking industry and other sources to alert the traveling public to festival times, location, and alternate routes.

* Temporary communications towers are in place to improve emergency communications.

Troopers will work both on the ground and in the air, using helicopters to assess the scene from above and relay important information to the marked patrol cars and motorcycles on the ground.

"Our goal is to make sure that I-24 stays accident-free and clear for festival-goers and other travelers," stated THP Colonel Mike Walker. "Nearly 100 Tennessee State 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."

During Bonnaroo 2008, Troopers logged over 5,600 man-hours, worked 12 traffic crashes (seven injury, and five property damage crashes), and wrote 323 citations and 55 warnings.

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

During the festival motorists should call 511 from any mobile or land line phone for traffic updates or visit the TDOT website at www.tn.gov/tdot where they will also find information on alternate routes. TDOT is also on Twitter.

For statewide traffic tweets follow TN511 or for regional traffic information follow Nashville511, Chattanooga511, Memphis511 and Knoxville511.

Also, drivers should keep in mind that if they need the assistance of a trooper while traveling anywhere in Tennessee, they can simply dial *THP from their cell phone. They will be automatically connected to the nearest THP dispatch office and the operator will send a trooper to their location.