Mt. Juliet makes progress with priority road project

Abbey Nutter, The Lebanon Democrat, Tenn.
Updated ·2 min read

May 22—The South Mt. Juliet Road widening project is in its right-of-way acquisition phase, according to the city.

"This project is one of the City's top priority road widening projects," Mt Juliet Public Works Director Matthew White said in a statement posted to social media. "This is what we consider a hybrid project, meaning the project delivery is a collaborative effort between the City of Mt. Juliet and (the Tennessee Department of Transportation).

The project will take South Mt. Juliet Road from a two-lane roadway to a four-lane divided roadway with bike lanes and sidewalks.

The ROW acquisition phase will see the city acquiring land or easements in order to complete the project.

"The City of Mt. Juliet managed and funded the NEPA and design phases of the project," White said in the statement. "TDOT is managing and funding the ROW acquisition and construction phases. The ROW and construction phases will be funded by Federal and State funds through the IMPROVE Act. This project is one of many projects listed in the IMPROVE Act, which was signed into law in April 2017 by Governor Bill Haslam to update transportation infrastructure in Tennessee by increasing fuel taxes."

During the first session of the "Looking into the Future" seminar series in February — hosted by Wilson County Mayor Randall Hutto — Mt. Juliet representatives shared that the estimated cost of the project was $56.9 million. According to information shared by the city on Tuesday, the total cost of the project will be $66.3 million, with $64.3 million coming from state or federal funding.

The widening of South Mt. Juliet Road — also known as State Route 171 — was also included in TDOT's 10-year project plan. In January, it was announced that the project would be fully funded as part of the plan.

"TDOT is currently performing the ROW acquisition and we expect the ROW acquisition and utility relocation phase to last approximately three years," White stated.

The architect and engineer for the project is RaganSmith. The project's contractor has not been announced.