Concerns expressed Thursday about updates to the construction timeline for widening US 127 In Fentress County.
T-DOT revealed during the Center Hill and Dale Hollow RPO meeting the section from Little Road to the four-lane north of Grimsley, would not see construction begin until 2033. Fentress County Executive Jimmy Johnson said he has received pushback from residents about when the construction will begin in the specific section.
“What I am getting the pushback on is where they are selling the property, and then now they are aware that it’s not gonna get done in seven to eight years instead of three to five,” Johnson said.
T-DOT’s Curt Duncan said the project has been moved from the three-to-five-year plan to the ten-year plan. Duncan said T-DOT is still working to acquire right-of-ways for the project.
“We started that project in right-of-way, which the 01, we will continue that,” Duncan said. “We will line that up to align with the 02(phase),03 (phase), finishing roughly at the same time, and then go into construction.”
In Cumberland County, the SR-28/US127 widening project phases three and four are expected to begin construction in 2026.
“Right now, the first section and our fifth section, if you will, are under construction near the interstate going north about three miles and then south of Clarkrange for about three miles. So sometime next year we will be letting the 03 and the 04, depends as the way I designate them, in between those two sections, as 01 and 05 are wrapping up.
Construction for I-40 Exit 338 Interchange improvements and improvements to SR-229 are expected to begin in 2029. The construction date for the I-40 bridges going over Drowning Creek and Creston Road in Cumberland County has yet to be determined.
Cumberland County Pavement Projects to begin in 2026 are I-40 from near the parking area exit to East Plateau Road interchange, SR-1 from near Deep Water Road to Pomona Road, SR-28 from Bledsoe County Line to North of Hillendale Road, SR-28 from near SR-392 to near SR-24, SR-28 from near Lowe Road to Fentress County Line, SR-28 from South of Sawmill Road to North of SR-419, and SR-462 from SR-1 to SR-24.
In Fentress County, a bridge improvement project on SR-28 going over Wolf River will be gin Right-of-way acquisitin in 2027 with construction expected to begin in 2028. A signalization project to move overhead traffic lights on poles to the side on SR-52 at Main Street. Right-of-way acquisition will begin in 2026 with the anticipation of construction beginning in 2027.
Fentress County paving projects will consist of SR-28 from the Cumberland County Line to Near Old Highway 28, SR-28 from South York Highway to North of SR-52, and SR-62 from the Cumberland County Line to SR-28.
In Putnam County, the construction for the widening of Willow Avenue from West Broad Street to West 12th Street is expected to begin in 2028. TDOT will use funding from its Traffic Signal Modernization Program to upgrade the signals on East Commercial Avenue in Monterey at its intersection with Poplar Street. Construction is expected to begin in 2027 for a safety improvement project on Hilham Road from near Quinland Lake Road to near Post Oak Road.
T-DOT will use its Statewide Partnership Program to add a northbound right-turn lane on SR-135 from I-40 to Interstate Drive. That project is expected to be constructed in 2028.
Baxter’s Exit 280 on I-40 will receive interchange improvements. Right-of-way acquisition will begin in 2026, and construction is expected to begin in 2027. Duncan said the State Industrial Access Program will provide funding for industiral access road. Duncan said the project is known as “Project Global”. Right-of-way acquisition will begin in 2027, and construction is expected to begin in 2028.
T-DOT also revealed several bridge improvement projects. Bridge on Buffalo Valley Road going over Cane Creek, bridge on SR-135 going over Dry Creek, and an I-40 bridge going over Elmore Town Road. The bridge projects will begin right of-way acqusition next year and expect construction to begin in 2027. Construction is expected to begin in 2029 for the bridge on SR-24 that goes over I-40.
Putnam County 2026 paving projects will consist of SR-136 from I-40 eastbound ramps to SR-24, SR-290 from Jackson County Line to Shipley Road, and SR-291 from SR-24 to SR-56.
White County 2026 paving projects will consist of SR-1 from the Van Buren County Line to SR-11, SR-1 from near Corolla Road to East of Viola Drive, SR-135 from SR-289 to South of SR-11, and SR-289 from SR-1 to SR-111.
In Clay County, SR-52 Celina Truck Route from Near Kyle Street to the existing SR-52 near Washington Street will begin construction in 2026. Clay County 2026 paving projects will consist of SR-52 from near Poor House Road to Overton County Line and SR-52 from Clay County Line to West of Robbins Lane (Overton County).
In Jackson County, a new traffic signal at SR-290 in Mayfield will begin right-of-way acquisition in 2027, with construction expected to begin in 2028. Jackson County 2026 paving projects will consist of SR-290 from SR-56 to Putnam County Line and SR-56 from South of SR-135 to East of SR-151.
In Overton County, improvements will be made to the bridge on SR-293 going over Branch. Right-of-way acquisition will begin in 2026, with construction expected to begin in 2027. A right of-way acquisiton will begin in 2026 for a signalization project on SR-52 at Myers Street and Zachary Street. Construction is expected to begin in 2027.
In Pickett County, T-DOT will offset a northbound right turn lane on SR-11 at the SR-28 intersection. Right-of-way acquisition will begin in 2026, with construction expected to begin in 2027.
