THP announces annual ‘I-40 Challenge’

The Tennessee Highway Patrol has announced their seventh annual “I-40 Challenge” safety initiative ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

The “I-40 Challenge,” or “CARE across Tennessee,” will include additional patrols from the Tennessee Highway Patrol and local law enforcement agencies along Interstate 40.

In Tennessee, enforcement will increase on the busiest travel days during the Thanksgiving holiday, and THP has extended the challenge to partnering agencies across the country.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol has announced plans to assign troopers every 20 miles on Interstate 40 for 12 hour shifts from Wednesday through Sunday.

In 2018, there were 46 crashes the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and 55 crashes on the Sunday after Thanksgiving on Interstate 40, including one alcohol-related crash, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol.