I-65 Old Hickory Boulevard On-Ramp Turns Dangerous After Paving

BRENTWOOD, TN -- In the year between October 2016 and October 2017, there were six wrecks on the on-ramp from Old Hickory Boulevard to Interstate 65 South. In the six months since November 2017, there have been 47, mostly during rainy or wet conditions.

"Obviously, we're very concerned," the Tennessee Department of Transportation's Kathryn Schulte told NewsChannel 5. "Sometimes it can be something really really slight in the pavement that causes a bit of a slope and then you get water running where it shouldn't be running."

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That stretch of I-65 was repaved last fall, just before the spike in wrecks. TDOT has tried re-repaving the ramp, but the wrecks continue. The department is still working to determine exactly what the problem is and in the meantime, signage warns motorists to take it easy.

TDOT isn't sure if it's a long-standing design flaw exacerbated by the new pavement or some other mistake. In 2015, the department had to go back and fix some lanes of Interstate 40 near Mt. Juliet because drivers were hydroplaning.

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