CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – As the Labor Day holiday approaches, law enforcement is teaming up to make Highway 58 safer. Hamilton County Sheriff’s deputies, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Chattanooga Police, and the Tennessee Highway Safety Office are launching Project 58 x 58: Enforcing Safety, Hour by Hour.
The operation will cover the entire stretch of Highway 58, from the Georgia state line to Roane County, and run from Friday, August 29 through midnight Monday, September 1.
The focus will be on curbing speeding, removing impaired drivers, and targeting reckless behavior.
The need for action is urgent.
Since January, there have been 234 crashes on Highway 58 in Hamilton County alone, including 102 with injuries and five fatal wrecks.
Between 2022 and 2024, there were 1,230 crashes and five more fatalities. In total, ten people have died on Highway 58 since 2022.
Sheriff Austin Garrett said too many residents have raised concerns about speeding on the highway.
“Our goal is to change driver behavior through education,” Garrett said, “but if that doesn’t work, we will enforce the law.”
State Representative Greg Vital also pointed to the dangers of distracted driving and speeding, saying, “We’ve lost too many people recently in Hamilton County.”
The Chattanooga Police Department will also play a major role, with Chief John Chambers emphasizing that “public safety is a shared responsibility.”
With school back in session and more traffic on the roads, officers say now is the time to slow down, stay alert, and drive responsibly.
