NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After 26 years the southern leg of Tennessee Highway 840 has a completion date.
Officials with the Tennessee Department of Transportation said that the roadway will be open by November 2, 2012. For years, the 78 mile road has been the focus of controversy in Williamson County. Some citizens even filed lawsuits trying to stop the project
The plan to build SR840 began with state lawmakers who put the highway in their road program in 1986. The final leg will allow residents to drive from Lebanon to Dickson without going through Nashville.
Citizens in Williamson County filed lawsuits against the state mostly over environmental concerns in the Leiper's Fork area. They spent more than a half million dollars.
Brad Caldwell was one of the residents who vehemently opposed TDOT running State Highway 840 through his property.
"I think the same thing of the project as I did before. It's a $2.1 billion dollar waste of the taxpayers money," he said.
TDOT took part of Caldwell's land, but he says it was never about the land. It was about the environment and there are still issues.
To address issues T-DOT formed a team that included citizens to tackle the environmental issues. Gene Cotton was part of that group. Cotton believes the group was successful and saved many creeks and streams in Leiper's Fork.
TDOT built longer bridges over streams and creeks to lessen the impact of the highway on water in the area.
