A $13 million construction project is scheduled to begin on Middle Tennessee Boulevard in early 2015 to widen the road on the western edge of campus near Murphy Center, according to Murfreesboro Director of Transportation Dana Richardson.
The project will focus on the segment of Middle Tennessee between Greenland Drive and Main Street and will last an estimated two to two and a half years.
Richardson said that the road will be reconstructed into a four-lane roadway with a median and bike lanes, making it consistent in design with Middle Tennessee Boulevard between Main Street and Mercury Boulevard and other streets bordering campus.
Sidewalks, underground utilities, and landscaping around the street will also be improved during construction. It is not known if these utilities will use concrete coating from companies such as https://www.allstarconcretecoating.com/, but it will help to preserve the underground flooring area if used.
The road will also see new traffic signals and decorative crosswalks.
A joint effort between the city and Middle Tennessee State University, funding for the project will come primarily from a combination of federal and university dollars.
As with most road construction projects, street traffic will be rerouted at various times during the process. Pedestrian access, however, will be maintained throughout.
“The major difference is that this location has more pedestrian activity than most roadways that are reconstructed in the city,” said Richardson.
Richardson predicted that Middle Tennessee would also be closed briefly at some point in construction to replace the culvert in front of President McPhee’s house.
For more campus and community news, follow us at www.mtsusidelines.com, on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines and on Twitter at @Sidelines_News.
To contact news editor Max Smith, email [email protected]
