The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) has begun an extensive project for safety improvements on Ochs Highway. Ochs Highway will be closed from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Sundays-Thursdays. The road closures and construction will be completed on or before November 15, according to Lookout Mountain, GA mayor David Bennett.
In a letter sent to Lookout Mountain, GA residents on October 1, Bennett detailed the TDOT’s plans for Ochs. This includes repaving the highway, coating certain curves with skid-resistant solution, and replacing the center-line rumble strip with textured bumps that cannot retain water.
The TDOT will also trim back limbs and trees along the road, and may “work with property owners to clean up properties.” Both of these measures will increase drivers’ line of sight on Ochs.
The TDOT is also going to look into the possibility of widening certain curves and adding new signs on Ochs and Scenic Highway that warn drivers about the dangers of the roads. These signs will specifically warn drivers of large vehicles.
According to the Chattanoogan, Ochs was built in the 1930s, decades before large vehicle traffic on the road became regular.
The construction on Ochs comes after two fatal wrecks that have happened on the highway in the past two years, both of which involved trucks. One wreck occurred in 2017, and the other was this year on August 24. Both resulted in the death of a Lookout Mountain resident.
In the October 1 email, Bennett cited a “significant increase” of bicyclists, RVs, and large trucks as a central issue in the safety of Ochs Highway.
In a community meeting in September, residents also expressed concerns about an increase in large tour buses. These and other large vehicles pose a potential safety hazard on Ochs, because some turns along the highway are sharp enough that larger vehicles are forced to cross the center line when turning.
In Bennett’s email, he told residents that he was in contact with Ruby Falls and See Rock City, the two main tourist attractions that bring sightseers to Lookout. He said both companies are fully cooperating with the TDOT’s safety projects.
Bennett urged Covenant students to drive on Ochs with extreme caution over the coming weeks. He said that any time there is fresh asphalt, there is fresh oil that can stay on the road for up to 45 days. Because of this, he said drivers should be careful on Ochs, especially when the road is wet.