KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Story courtesy of WVLT) – National Work Zone Awareness Week comes each year at the start of spring road work season, a reminder for drivers across East Tennessee to slow down, stay alert and help roadway workers make it home safely.
One major project currently underway is in Powell, where the Tennessee Department of Transportation is building a diverging diamond interchange (DDI) at Emory Road along I-75.
Construction started in the fall of 2025, and crews have already moved significant amounts of earth as work continues across the interchange footprint.
A DDI is the same type of interchange TDOT implemented at Exit 407 in Sevierville.
Nagi said that project helped improve congestion, and with continued growth in North Knoxville, TDOT officials expect the Emory Road DDI to provide similar long-term benefits.
“We’re not looking at today, 2026, we’re looking 10, 15, 20 years, 30 years in the future and this area is going to continue to grow,” Nagi said. “We understood that the interchange was not going to be able to handle the increased traffic that we are going to see here. So, by doing a DDI it is going to serve the public for decades to come. It is going to make a more efficient roadway and certainly a safer roadway.”
Construction is expected to continue through completion in 2028.
In the meantime, TDOT is urging drivers to use caution in the work zone, follow posted signs and reduce speeds to help protect workers as the project progresses.
To learn more about the DDI and TDOT’s work on the project, https://www.tn.gov/tdot/projects/projects-region-1/state-route-131.html.
Emory Road Diamond Interchange Project (TDOT / WVLT)
