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Oak Ridge man dies in motorcycle crash on Oak Ridge Turnpike

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A 66-year-old man died Thursday after police said he lost control of his motorcycle and crashed on Oak Ridge Turnpike, according to the city.

The Oak Ridge Police Department responded to the crash, which was in front of Oak Ridge High School, at about 6:13 p.m. Thursday. The initial investigation shows that James Lynch lost control of the motorcycle, which then slid on its side for about 50 feet before hitting the back of a small van, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release.

Lynch later died at Methodist Medical Center.

Witnesses told investigators the sun was in Lynch’s eyes. Investigators also believe speed was a factor, the press release said. No use of drugs or alcohol are suspected.

[Read more…]

Updated: Crews repairing water main break

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Oak Ridge crews are repairing a water main break at the corner of Rutgers Avenue and Oak Ridge Turnpike, the city said Thursday afternoon, Aug. 13, 2020. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

Note: This story was updated at 12 p.m. Aug. 16.

Oak Ridge crews repaired a water main break at the corner of Rutgers Avenue and Oak Ridge Turnpike, the city said last week.

Just before 5 p.m. Thursday, the city said Oak Ridge Public Works crews were shutting valves to isolate the break. Crews could be repairing the main for the next several hours, the city said. Water was cut off for the Jimmy Johns and Home Federal Bank on the Oak Ridge Turnpike.

[Read more…]

For members: Police say they found parts matching defendant’s car at fatal hit-and-run

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Police officers investigating a hit-and-run collision that killed a pedestrian on Oak Ridge Turnpike on Tuesday morning said they found vehicle parts matching the defendant’s car at the crash site.

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Police officers investigating a hit-and-run collision that killed a pedestrian on Oak Ridge Turnpike on Tuesday morning said they found vehicle parts matching the defendant’s car at the crash site.

The rest of this story, which you will find only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: an advertiser or subscriber to Oak Ridge Today.

Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here.

Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here:

Basic

Pro

Temporary

If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription.

Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!

Suspect identified in fatal hit-and-run

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Christhian Ordonez-Alvarenza

The suspect in the fatal hit-and-run crash on Tuesday morning has been identified as Christhian Ariel Ordonez-Alvarenza, 28, of Oak Ridge, a city spokesperson said Tuesday evening.

He was detained shortly after the crash and later charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving a death, driving while unlicensed, filing a false police report, and tampering with evidence, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release.

He was jailed in the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton on Tuesday night.

[Read more…]

Victim identified in fatal hit-and-run crash

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The Oak Ridge Police Department investigates a deadly hit-and-run crash involving a pedestrian between Brussels Road and Bogola Road on Oak Ridge Turnpike on Tuesday morning, Aug. 11, 2020. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The victim of the fatal hit-and-run crash in east Oak Ridge on Tuesday morning has been identified as Donny L. McGhee, 48, of Knoxville.

McGhee’s last known address was on East Magnolia Avenue, the City of Oak Ridge said.

The deadly crash was reported at about 7 a.m. Tuesday on Oak Ridge Turnpike between Brussels Road and Bogola Road.

[Read more…]

Police investigating fatal hit-and-run involving pedestrian on Turnpike

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The Oak Ridge Police Department investigates a deadly hit-and-run crash involving a pedestrian between Brussels Road and Bogola Road on Oak Ridge Turnpike on Tuesday morning, Aug. 11, 2020. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge Police Department is investigating a deadly hit-and-run crash involving a pedestrian on Oak Ridge Turnpike on Tuesday morning.

Police received a 911 call about the fatal hit-and-run at about 7 a.m. Tuesday. It was reported between Brussels Road and Bogola Road in east Oak Ridge.

[Read more…]

One flown to hospital after two-vehicle crash

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Oak Ridge Turnpike Salem Road Crash Jan 6 2020
One person was flown to a hospital after a two-vehicle crash on Oak Ridge Turnpike near Salem Road on Monday morning, Jan. 6, 2020. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Police Department)

One person was flown to a hospital after a two-vehicle crash in west Oak Ridge on Monday morning, emergency responders said.

The crash was reported at about 6:15 a.m. Monday on Oak Ridge Turnpike near Salem Road. The Oak Ridge police and fire departments responded.

When they arrived, Oak Ridge Fire Department firefighters found a heavily damaged vehicle with the injured driver still inside. They quickly extinguished a small fire in the engine compartment of the vehicle and rescued the driver, emergency responders said. The injured driver was then flown by a Lifestar medical helicopter to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. The driver of the second vehicle reported no injuries.

[Read more…]

Police identify woman who died in two-vehicle crash

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The Oak Ridge Police Department has identified the woman who died in the two-vehicle crash on Oak Ridge Turnpike on Tuesday afternoon as Johnnie Gary, 77, of Oak Ridge.

The two-vehicle crash between a sedan and pickup truck was reported at about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday in the westbound lanes of Oak Ridge Turnpike just east of Nebraska Avenue, at Newport Drive.

Gary was pronounced dead at the crash site, the ORPD said.

The other driver had non-life threatening injuries and was taken to Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge to be treated.

[Read more…]

Updated: One person dies in crash in west Oak Ridge

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Note: This story was updated at 11 a.m. May 1.

A female driver died in a crash in west Oak Ridge on Tuesday afternoon, police said.

The two-vehicle crash was reported at about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday in the westbound lanes of Oak Ridge Turnpike just east of Nebraska Avenue, at Newport Drive. It involved a maroon sedan and a white pickup truck. The sedan had come to a stop heading south on Newport Drive onto Oak Ridge Turnpike, while the pickup truck was in the westbound lanes with its front end turned into the grassy center median.

The cause is not known yet. A specialist who can reconstruct the crash was investigating, Oak Ridge Police Department Lieutenant Matt Tedford said Tuesday afternoon.

The female’s body was taken for an autopsy by the Roane County medical examiner, Tedford said.

[Read more…]

Oak Ridge police conduct water rescue

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The Oak Ridge Police Department had a water rescue at a partially submerged vehicle in west Oak Ridge on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019, the Oak Ridge Fire Department said. (Photo courtesy ORFD)

The Oak Ridge Police Department had a water rescue at a partially submerged vehicle in west Oak Ridge on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019, the Oak Ridge Fire Department said. (Photo courtesy ORFD)

 

The Oak Ridge Police Department had a water rescue at a partially submerged vehicle in west Oak Ridge on Saturday, the Oak Ridge Fire Department said.

The vehicle was on Oak Ridge Turnpike (Highway 95) in west Oak Ridge, one of several roads in the area that has had at least a portion of it closed.

“We are asking everyone to stay home and off the roads today while we respond to flooding in Oak Ridge,” the Fire Department said. [Read more…]

No injuries reported when car crashes into school bus

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No one was injured when a car crashed into an Oak Ridge school bus on Thursday, police said.

The two-vehicle crash was reported at about 6:55 a.m. Thursday in the eastbound lanes of Oak Ridge Turnpike at Salem Road.

School bus #64 was struck on the driver’s side near the rear axle by a car pulling out onto the Turnpike from Salem Road, the Oak Ridge Police Department said. [Read more…]

Signal timing project would be eligible for 100 percent federal funds

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Oak-Ridge-Turnpike-South-Tulane-Dec-10-2015

The intersection of Oak Ridge Turnpike and Tulane Avenue is pictured above in this file photo from December 2015. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A $2.8 milion signal timing project that could affect traffic lights on Oak Ridge Turnpike would be eligible for 100 percent federal funding, according to a resolution to be considered by Oak Ridge City Council members on Monday.

The project, the second phase of a project to improve the city’s traffic signal system, could cost $2.86 million, and it would focus on 14 locations along a 2.7-mile section of Oak Ridge Turnpike between Illinois Avenue and Florida Avenue. It would include:

  • the installation of advanced traffic controllers at 11 intersections,
  • the installation of aerial and underground fiber optic cables to connect all 14 signals within the city’s existing fiber network,
  • the replacement of loop detectors with radar vehicle detection at stop lights, and
  • the establishment of a traffic operations center that would be located in the Oak Ridge Central Services Complex on Woodbury Lane to manage the signals.

In addition, the city would replace older existing traffic signal heads with LED signals that operate more efficiently, more reliably, and provide better visibility, according to a memo that accompanies the resolution and was written by Oak Ridge Public Works Director Shira McWaters. She said new pedestrian-accessible signals would be installed at appropriate locations along with new signing and pavement marking upgrades. And two signals would also be reconstructed to receive new mast arms. [Read more…]

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