It was just over a year ago (August 15, 2014) that the Peytonsville Road bridge in Franklin on interstate 65 was hit by a tanker truck causing a massive explosion killing the driver Bobby Bobo and causing major damage to two highway bridges. The tragic accident backed up traffic for miles around Williamson County.
The newly built, southernmost bridge was also heavily damaged in the fire. On September 20th the Tennessee Department of Transportation contract crews imploded the bridge at State Route 248 (Peytonsville Road / Goose Creek Bypass) over I-65 in Williamson County. Workers had already torn down the old bridge and hauled it off.
The bridge project, which consists of widening I-65, interchange modifications, and widening State Route 248, was originally contracted for $46 million with a completion date of June 2016.
A review of the crash history at this interchange revealed higher than average crash rates at both ramp terminal intersections and on mainline I65. The table below summarizes the calculated rates for the three year period from 1999 through 2001. An explanation of the different rate calculations follows the summary table.
The actual traffic crash rate is determined by dividing the number of crashes that occur at a given location in a specified time period by the amount of vehicular exposure at that location. Exposure is measured in number of vehicle miles of travel or in number of entering vehicles. Statewide averages for crash rates on comparable roadway segments are provided in the table for comparison. The critical crash rate reflects a statistical control that provides a means of evaluating actual crash rates.
If an actual crash rate is higher than the critical rate, one can conclude that the crash pattern is most likely not due to chance but to some unfavorable characteristic of the local conditions. The severity index is an expression of the ratio of fatal and injury crashes to the total number of crashes at a given location. The higher the severity index, the more hazardous the location. The calculated crash rates for the I65 and State Route 248 interchange support the conclusion that deficient roadway geometry is contributing to the pattern of traffic crashes.
Video below shows the progress of the I-65 at Peytonsville Rd. construction. On November 3rd, crews poured the entire bridge deck on half the bridge.
Below we have some current photos of the construction going on at I-65 at Goose Creek Bypass interchange and bridge overpass. This is expected to be completed by 2016.
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More Special Report: Williamson County Traffic
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