Woodbury 4-lane gets green light
|
Bredesen announced Monday morning that, after years of discussion, money has been earmarked for the first phase of a project which would transform Highway 70S (Nashville Highway) into a four-lane road beginning in Newtown.
“An estimated 8,000 cars and trucks travel that road every day,” said Bredesen while addressing an estimated crowd of 300 gathered at the Civic Center for the Chamber of Commerce’s annual Legislative Breakfast. “That number is only going to increase and that’s why, in order to properly plan for our future, it’s important we take measures now. There has been $7.5 million put in next year’s budget to begin construction on this important highway project.”
State Sen. Jerry Cooper, who has long pushed for this road improvement, said an additional $5 million has been earmarked for the state to purchase property and obtain right of ways, making the initial commitment over $12 million. The new four-lane won’t follow the same exact path as the current highway.
“When I first took office 20 years ago, there weren’t any four-lanes to McMinnville,” said Cooper. “Manchester was the first and Sparta was the second. Now this is the third round.”
The plan calls for the road to become a four-lane shortly after Angels Bridge, which goes over the bypass. The first phase would fund a four-lane for approximately 1.5 miles to Spring Valley Road.
“It’s a small step to the ultimate goal of four-lane access from McMinnville to I-24 in Murfreesboro,” said Bredesen.
A spokesperson with the Tennessee Department of Transportation said the first move would be purchasing property and obtaining right of ways, which would likely occur this fall. Actual construction would begin, as a best-case scenario, in October 2005.