Ford's Garage opened at 2102 Hamilton Place Blvd. on October 13. It took over the former Abuelo's building and fills it with vintage Ford vehicles and memorabilia, staged to look like a 1920s service station. The building sits on the boulevard that the state's I-75 interchange project is built around. When that project is finished, southbound I-75 will have its own exit onto Hamilton Place Boulevard, and drivers on the boulevard will be able to get onto northbound I-75 directly.
It isn't finished yet. That's why this holiday season looks the way it does. The Santa line, the weekly gift-card drawings and a new set of restaurants on both sides of the mall are all running while the ramps are still shifted, narrowed and closed at night. This is very likely the last December that works this way.
What the interchange is actually building
The project is run by TDOT with a linked City of Chattanooga piece. The state's work includes two new interstate ramps, three bridges, nine retaining walls, bridge-deck and concrete repairs, and new signs, lighting and drainage. The city's part widens Hamilton Place Boulevard and adds three intersections.
In January, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported the project at $83 million and 60% complete, with a target finish of May 31, 2027. The contractor is Summers-Taylor of Johnson City. In the same article, TDOT spokesperson Gracie Shamblin described what the second half of the job would look like:
"Work will continue on new bridges for the braided ramps passing over the Shallowford Road ramps and on retaining walls throughout the project. Toward the end of 2026, paving operations should begin on the new ramps. Motorists will also see repair work for the concrete slabs on the interstate mainline, both northbound and southbound."
"Toward the end of 2026" means right about now. If that schedule held, paving on the new ramps lines up with the busiest shopping weeks of the year.
The drive in, as TDOT last described it
TDOT's weekly roadway report for October 29 through November 4 listed this setup at the Hamilton Place Mall interchange:
- The SR-153 southbound ramp to I-75 northbound is down to one lane.
- Traffic is shifted on I-75 in both directions, on the Shallowford Road entrance and exit ramps, and on the Hamilton Place Mall exit ramp.
- The speed limit is lower on I-75 throughout the project limits.
- Lane closures are allowed nightly from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Those nightly closures start at 8 p.m. The mall's Santa set runs until 8 p.m. on weekdays in mid-December, so leaving after a late photo session can mean meeting a closure on the way home. The Shallowford ramps also get full closures from time to time. For the weekend of October 23, TDOT closed the I-75 northbound exit to Shallowford Road, Exit 5, from Friday night into Saturday evening. It then closed the southbound entrance ramp from Shallowford Road until 6 a.m. Monday. The posted detour sent northbound drivers up to Exit 9 at Volkswagen Drive, around the loop ramp to I-75 south, and back down to Exit 5. TDOT announces closures like these week to week, so the regional roadway activity reports are the place to check before a Saturday trip.
The Shallowford side filled in this year
Most of the new food near the mall opened on the Shallowford Road side of I-75, right next to the ramps TDOT keeps shifting.
| Business | Address | What it is | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wako Japanese Restaurant | 2340 Shallowford Village Drive | All-you-can-eat sushi and Japanese | Open by early June 2026 |
| Corona's | 2342 Shallowford Village Dr. | Mexican; dine in, pickup, delivery | Opened this fall |
| Beignets & Brew | 7019 Shallowford Road | Beignets, croissants, coffee, tea, smoothies, beer | Opened this fall |
| Ford's Garage | 2102 Hamilton Place Blvd. | Burgers, craft beer, craft cocktails | Opened Oct. 13 |
Wako is one of a chain of locations stretching from California to Florida, and the Times Free Press noted this is its second Tennessee location. Corona's opened next door, near the Cracker Barrel. It's open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, according to Chattanoogan.com. The same report covered Beignets & Brew a short distance away on Shallowford Road, which serves specialty beignets, croissants, and drinks from coffee to fizzies.
On the other side of the interstate, Ford's Garage is a chain that started in Florida. Chattanoogan.com reported that it opened to the public after a couple of weeks of training and friends-and-family service. It's open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. According to the company's opening announcement, it's the brand's first Tennessee location, out of 36 restaurants in nine states. A Tennessee franchise group runs it, and franchise partner Ted Moats called Chattanooga's automotive history a natural fit.
Over on Gunbarrel Road, Tune Up the Manly Salon at 1820 Gunbarrel Road had opened by early July. It's a barbershop that serves a cold beer with a haircut or beard trim, a handy stop for a pre-holiday trim.
So the Shallowford Village restaurants sit next to the ramps that have been shifted all fall, and Ford's Garage sits on the boulevard that will get the new direct exit. Both opened before the work was done.
The mall calendar from here to Christmas Eve
By publish day the mall's season has been running since Nov. 7. Here's what's left on the calendar from Hamilton Place and its Santa photo operator:
| Event | Dates | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Photos with Santa | Through Dec. 24 | Noon–7 p.m. Mon–Sat, noon–6 p.m. Sun through Dec. 10; 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Mon–Sat, noon–6 p.m. Sun Dec. 11–17; hours vary Dec. 18–24; packages start at $42 |
| Pet Photos with Santa | Mondays through Dec. 14 | Reservations recommended |
| Santa's $3,000 Stocking Giveaway | Through Dec. 22 | Hollister $450, Nov. 13–19; Aerie $550, Nov. 27–Dec. 3; Altar'd State $650, Dec. 4–10; Palmetto Moon $750, Dec. 11–22 |
| Chattanooga Christmas Village Holiday Market | Nov. 20–22 | Camp Jordan, 323 Camp Jordan Parkway, East Ridge; indoor and outdoor vendors, Santa and Grinch photos, $1–$10 admission |
The giveaway's lululemon week runs through Nov. 12, which is the day this post goes up, and the Sephora week already ended Nov. 5. Details for the giveaway and pet sessions are on Hamilton Place's events pages. Pet photos are Monday-only. Monday is also an ordinary workday on the interstate, when the nightly closure window starts at 8 p.m.
Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, Nov. 26. Camp Jordan's market wraps up the Sunday before, and it's a few minutes west in East Ridge, away from the interchange.
East Brainerd Road runs on a longer clock
The interchange has an end date in sight. East Brainerd Road's work runs longer. TDOT's Oct. 29 report lists daily flagging from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on SR-320 at the CSX bridge while crews relocate utility poles and overhead lines. The Times Free Press reported in late October that paving on East Brainerd Road between I-24 and Lee Highway was expected to wrap up around Halloween. The CSX railroad bridge replacement on the same stretch is scheduled to be finished June 30, 2028.
That means two different timelines this season. The Hamilton Place ramps are, as of the last reported schedule, in their final full year. The rail bridge on East Brainerd Road is scheduled to stay under construction through next year's holidays as well. Shoppers coming from the Shallowford side are driving through a project that's close to done, while East Brainerd Road's bridge work has more than a year and a half to go.
If the May 31, 2027 target holds, next year's Santa set will open with a southbound I-75 exit dropping drivers onto the boulevard where Ford's Garage now stands. This year, getting there still means using the Shallowford and mall ramps TDOT has listed as shifted all fall.
The new interchange will change how drivers reach homes off Shallowford Road, Gunbarrel Road and Hamilton Place Boulevard. If you own near the mall and want to know how the work and its 2027 finish might show up in your home's value, Marcus Holt Homes can go through the numbers with you. Request a free home valuation and Marcus will walk you through it.
