CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Business leaders got an update on major road improvements Wednesday morning, along with some perspective on what it takes to move a road project up the list of state and federal priorities.
The Clarksville Area Chamber of Commerce heard from Metropolitan Planning Organization Director Stan Williams on several key road projects.
State road project updates
Interstate 24 from Kentucky state line to Exit 11: Widening to six lanes, three on each side. Engineering is under way, with construction in about six years.
Trenton Road from 101st Airborne Division Parkway to I-24: Widening. Design is under way.
Spring Creek Parkway from Wilma Rudolph Boulevard to Trenton Road: New construction of four-lane divided highway. Right of way acquisition is done, and construction should begin in spring 2023, in partnership with the city’s Transportation 2020+ initiative.
I-24 detour Adaptive Signal System: An automated traffic signal system that will help move I-24 traffic from Wilma Rudolph to Warfield Boulevard to Madison Street during detours caused by wrecks on the interstate. Construction this fall.
Rossview Road from Powell Road to Keysburg Road: Widening to five lanes with sidewalks. From Powell to Cardinal Lane, should be finished this summer. From Cardinal to Keysburg, with realignment of Dunbar Cave Road intersection with Cardinal, construction should start this fall, in partnership with city.
Rossview from International Boulevard to Kirkwood Road: Widening to five lanes with sidewalks. Engineering and design done. Right of way acquisition this fall. Utilities work in fall 2024, with construction in winter 2025.
Warfield Boulevard/Richview Road from Dunbar Cave Road to Madison: Widening to five lanes with sidewalks. Awaiting funding, for cost to exceed $51 million.
Madison and Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway: Intersection improvements and construction of service roads. Delayed due to utility relocations.
Madison from Country Lane to McAdoo Creek Road: Construction of sidewalks. Construction bid letting in summer 2023.
Ashland City Road intersection with Excell Road and Hickory Point Road: Closure of Old Ashland City Road, intersection improvements and signalization. Engineering this fall, design in fall 2023, right of way in fall 2024 with construction in fall 2025.
Highway 149 from Zinc Plant Road to River Road: Widening to five lanes, new bridge and sidewalks. Construction completion this winter.
Fort Campbell Boulevard: Construction of sidewalks, adding ADA-compliant ramps and eight pedestrian signals. Completion this fall.
Highway 374 extension from Highway 149 to Dover Road: New construction of four/five-lane highway with new bridge over western bend of Cumberland River. Section 1 from Highway 149 to Dotsonville Road, right of way acquisition this fall. Construction is likely eight to 12 years out for this $200-plus million project.
I-24 widening from Clarksville to Nashville: Study is underway, including justification study for possible Exit 6.
City road projects
In addition to the city’s partnership with TDOT on several state projects, the city has these road projects in the works, updated by Clarksville Street Department Engineering Manager Chris Cowan and Director Ihab Habib.
Whitfield Road improvements: Widening of Whitfield and Needmore Road on all four sides of intersection, with construction of roundabout. Delayed for utilities relocation.
Tylertown Road and Oakland Road: Widening from Trenton Road to Meriwether Road, with roundabout at Tylertown/Oakland intersection. In design phase.
Needmore from Tiny Town Road to Boy Scout Road: Widening phase 1. In design phase.
Memorial Extension: Widening. In design phase.
How to get things done
During comments about the timeline for widening of various roads, Williams emphasized the importance of local funding to jump start state road projects.
He cited the widening of Rossview Road up to Kirkwood. Montgomery County Government put up the money for engineering, design and right of way acquisition, turning to TDOT for construction, which was turned around quickly.
“I just can’t say that enough: Put the local dollars in to get the project started and it moves it along a lot quicker, instead of waiting for the state or federal dollars to do it all,” Williams said.
That’s the problem with the widening of Warfield Boulevard and Richview Road, he said. It’s a $51 million project that’s been stalled for years, and no local money has been invested.
“It’s just one of hundreds, if not thousands, of projects on TDOT’s list,” Williams said.
Putting forward the roughly 8% to 15% of a project’s total cost to pay for the initial engineering, design and possibly right of way acquisition clears a major hurdle, and it moves a project up TDOT’s long priority list.
“It moves you from the bottom, or near the bottom, to the middle or even further up,” Williams said, adding that doing that can get a project to construction five to 10 years more quickly.
Correction: The meeting was of the Clarksville Area Chamber of Commerce. Also, the roundabout for Oakland Road will be at the Tylertown intersection. The article has been updated.
