A pair of construction projects means drivers will have to deal with fewer lanes on Interstate 40 this weekend and next week.

Here are the details from the Tennessee Department of Transportation:

I-40 East over Sam Cooper Blvd.
Friday, March 18 at 8 p.m. through 6 a.m. Wednesday, March 23
I-40 East will have two lanes closed and two lanes open.
Sam Cooper Blvd. will have one lane closed and one lane open.

I-40 East and West at the Davies Plantation overpass
Friday, March 18 at 8 p.m. through 5 a.m. Monday, March 21
One lane will remain open in each direction.

With gas prices on the rise, more and more Mid-Southerners are considering starting a carpool to and from work or school. The Memphis Area RideShare Program (MAR) is launching a drive to increase carpools.

MAR’s mission is to encourage commuters to consider alternatives to driving single occupancy vehicles to work every day. To promote carpooling, MAR, provides a web-based matching service and incentives to those who participate in the program.

What is a carpool?

As the possibility of winter weather looms over the Memphis area, MATA isn’t experiencing any delays but is keeping a close eye on the skies.

“MATA’s snow plans will be implemented if conditions worsen,” said Alison Burton, MATA’s director of marketing and customer service. “The plans include sanding some side streets where buses travel, additional supervisory personnel to assist bus operators, additional customer service personnel to assist customers with route and schedule information and several maintenance procedures to ensure all equipment is ready to roll.”

For more information, call 274-6282.

Photo courtesy Flickr user Sean Davis.