Paving, reconnecting side roads, and upgrades to exit ramps are some of the highlights inside phase two of Cookeville’s Jefferson Avenue widening project.
T-DOT Regional Communications Officer Rae Anne Bradley said crews expect to finish the project by December. Work continues to construct the western side of Jefferson. In addition to traffic shifting to the newly paved eastern side of the roadway, Bradley said there will also be construction on the I-40 east exit ramp.
“The new portion is expected to be constructed in the coming weeks to allow traffic to be shifted south,” Bradley said. “The contractor will maintain two lanes of traffic on the exit ramp to allow for turning north and southto continue during construction.”
Bradley said the Highway 111 South exit ramp will be closed for a widening project. It is expected to remain closed for about a month.
“The upcoming schedule is going to involve paving a significant portion of Phase two of the project, which will include the section near Cookeville’s wastewater treatment plant north to Prescott Middle School’s entrance,” Bradley said. “And then from Cookeville Audiology up to the AMC Highland 12 movie theater.”
Bradley said West Davis Road and Henley drive are both closed for grading work, but they should re-open in the coming weeks. Bradley said side roads West Cemetery Road, Messenger Road, Julia Drive, Williams Enterprise Drive, and Bunker Hill Road will all be reconnected to Jefferson Avenue soon.
Bradley said all utilities have been relocated and installed. She said this includes city utilities, Twin Lakes, Spectrum and more. Bradley said storm drain installation up to Williams Enterprise Drive is complete, with the remaining short sections to be finished soon.
Bradley said there has been one major hurdle in the project so far. She said the contractor experienced an early delay with water line installation due to a supply chain issue. Bradley said T-Dot accepted a change order to push the water line completion date from September of 2024 to February of 2025.
“Though the contractor has fallen behind schedule from that revised completion date of February 2025, they remain actively engaged in working on the project to get this thing done as quickly as possible,” Bradley said.
Bradley said the project cost some $39.6 million. Work began in December of 2021, and spans from the Highway 111 overpass to the I-40 overpass in Cookeville.
