Нэшвилл қаласының I-440 тас жолы

Highway in Nashville, Tennessee, United States

Interstate 440 (I 440) is an east–west auxiliary Interstate Highway that runs through Nashville, Tennessee. It serves as a southern bypass around downtown Nashville, and is located on average about 3 mile (5 km) from the center of the city. I 440 is also known locally as the Four Forty Parkway, and is designated as the Debra K. Johnson Memorial Parkway. At a length of 7.64 mile (12 km), I 440 runs between I 40 and I 24, and connects to I 65 and multiple U. S. Routes. Combined, I 440 and Briley Parkway, a controlled access segment of State Route 155 (SR 155), form a noncontiguous inner beltway around downtown Nashville. Originally proposed in the 1950s, I 440 was the subject of much controversy related to its location and design, which resulted in multiple design changes and delayed the highway's completion for many years. As a result, it was the last segment of Interstate Highway planned for Tennessee by the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 to be constructed. After its completion in 1987, I 440 developed unforeseen congestion, safety, and surface issues, which prompted a reconstruction of the entire route that was completed in 2020.

The majority of I 440 is located below the level of adjoining streets and roads in an artificially cut gulch. In 2022, annual average daily traffic (AADT) volumes on the Interstate ranged from 95,313 vehicles per day near the western terminus to 123,747 vehicles per day between I 65 and I 24.

The route that is now Interstate 440 had its origins in 1955, when the Interstate Highway System was being planned. The highway was approved by the Bureau of Public Roads, the predecessor to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), on August 24, 1956, and was initially referred to as Segment #516. A lawsuit was filed by the National Wildlife Federation in 1973, which resulted in the requirement of an environmental impact study for I 440. However, traffic studies determined that the highway was necessary to relieve congestion on I 40.

Construction began in early 1982. The project required the removal of hundreds of thousands of cubic feet of dirt and rock. Initially, I 440 was going to be at grade, but TDOT engineers chose to build it below the surface of the ground to reduce noise and vehicle emissions pollution after citizens in large cities living near Interstates had complained of disturbances caused by highway traffic. The state also agreed to take measures to reduce the impact of the Interstate as a further compromise to opposition by such means as designing the route as a parkway. This included separating the lanes by a narrow grassy median, which unintentionally made the route susceptible to crossover crashes, and curbed inner edges. The discovery of hairline cracks in multiple overpasses and ramps in the spring of 1985, which were repaired with epoxy cement, delayed the opening of I 440 by approximately eight months. The section of I 440 between I 24 and I 65 was opened and dedicated on December 12, 1985, and the section between I 65 and I 40 was opened and dedicated on April 3, 1987. It was the last Interstate Highway that was originally allocated to Tennessee by the Interstate Highway Act to be completed. The speed limit was initially , which was increased to in July 2000, but reduced back to 55 mph in June 2005 after complaints from motorists. Between November 1994 and November 1995, TDOT made safety modifications to I 24 through the eastern terminus with I 440 and the nearby split with I 40, which reconfigured the routes to provide direct access to I 440 westbound from I 40 westbound. The ramp connecting I 40 eastbound to I 440 eastbound at the western terminus of I 440 was widened from one to two lanes between November 1995 and June 1996. Between May 1997 and December 1998 the ramp carrying traffic from I 440 eastbound to I 24 westbound was widened from one to two lanes, including the flyover bridge over I 24.

I 440 was built with a design capacity of 64,000 vehicles per day. and the entire route had begun to experience severe congestion every day during rush hour. Despite these improvements, I 440 continued to develop potholes, which prompted TDOT to prepare for reconstruction of the entire route. In November 2017 plans were announced for reconstruction of the route, which included replacing the concrete with asphalt, widening the entire route to a minimum of six lanes, replacing the grass median with a jersey barrier, and improving entrance and exit ramps. The contract for reconstruction was awarded on August 1, 2018. Preliminary work began in late November 2018, and the reconstruction project began on March 1, 2019. The project was completed on July 2, 2020, almost one month ahead of schedule. The project cost $154.8 million, and was at the time the most expensive contract ever awarded by TDOT. On February 21, 2021, I 440 was designated as the Debra K. Johnson Memorial Parkway in honor of a Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC) officer killed in the line of duty in 2019.