The long-awaited repaving of Crossville’s Main Street will begin Sunday.
Crossville Mayor R.J. Crawford said the city has been requesting the T-DOT project for at least four years to coincide with recently completed sidewalk and street light improvements.
“Well, the big thing with this is that, you know, business owners and those that frequent Main Street have been complaining for at least the last two years,” Crawford said. “And I’m with them because I travel that route on a daily basis and it’s needed.”
Crawford said the work is expected to be finished by the end of July depending on weather conditions. Crawford said the city requested that T-DOT perform the work between 7:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. to protect the access and operations of downtown businesses.
“Plus the traffic flow, to be honest with you, as busy as Main Street is and as we continue to grow Main Street is becoming a very busy corridor,” Crawford said. “And we just wanted to make sure that they understood by doing paving like they were they needed to be really cautious of not to shut down our town especially with the traffic patterns that we have.”
Crawford said the project contractor, Rogers Group, will work with the City Manager, local street crews, and the Police Department to manage traffic flow during the milling and paving process.
“But functionally, what people don’t realize is that the curbs and guttering, the drainage, all the things that kind of keep Main Street from having flood issues, that’s all resolved now,” Crawford said. “And the finishing of the road will just kind of be the icing on the cake, making sure all that slants well and drains as appropriately as it needs to.”
Crawford said the effort to improve the downtown area dates back to 2018 when the late former Mayor James Mayberry and the City Council approved the initial funding. Crawford said the completed project will include restriped and clearly identified parking, which follows the addition of approximately 30 parking spots behind the County Courthouse.
“Well, I think when the road’s done, you’re going to have all the parking situated so then all the businesses and those potential prospective people looking to develop downtown, buy a building, put in their business, will kind of see how it’s all supposed to look,” Crawford said.
Crawford said the revitalization of Main Street is a key component of the city’s strategic plan, which balances the historic downtown area with the economic corridor along Interstate 40. Crawford said the city is focused on refurbishing old buildings for retail or mixed-use while simultaneously pursuing new hotels and restaurants near the highway.
