CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Outer lanes on Wilma Rudolph Boulevard in Clarksville will close for the next four weeks for road and utility work near Walmart.
The short-term disruption is part of a larger effort by the city's street department to build Spring Creek Parkway, a new road that will eventually connect Wilma Rudolph Boulevard to Trenton Road.
Spring Creek Parkway
The Clarksville Street Department, in previous news releases, has called Spring Creek Parkway a "relief valve." The goal of the project is to divert some traffic off of Wilma Rudolph Boulevard and I-24, especially for local drivers just trying to get to the north side of town.
Phase One of Spring Creek Parkway, on the north end, is already open. Phase Two, which crosses Spring Creek and extends down to Wilma Rudolph Boulevard, is still under construction.
Clarksville resident Samantha Cooper said she already works around the congestion on Wilma Rudolph. "I always avoid Wilma during the hours of the day, anyway," Samantha said.
Her husband, Michael Cooper, has watched the area grow rapidly. "Just in that decade, it's crazy how much it's grown and will continue to grow," Michael said.
He is optimistic about what the new parkway will eventually mean for drivers. "The end result is going to be positive, I think that it's really going to help traffic in this area," Michael said.
The City of Clarksville has not released an expected completion date for Phase 2 of the parkway. But you can track the progress on all of the city's road projects here.
Not everyone is enthusiastic about the Spring Creek Parkway project. One neighbor, who declined to go on camera, said the new road will flood their neighborhood with more traffic and that they would not have moved there had they known the project was coming.
What about Trenton Road?
The Coopers have concerns about what happens once Spring Creek Parkway is fully open. The new road will feed traffic onto Trenton Road, a two-lane state highway they say is already congested. "Everybody in this area knows if there's an accident, either side of the parkway on Trenton Road, you're stuck," Michael Cooper said.
Trenton Road is managed by the Tennessee Department of Transportation. Erin Zeigler, a TDOT spokesperson, confirmed the agency has plans to widen the route from 2 lanes to 5. Construction is expected to start in 2029, with no expected completion date officially listed on TDOT's website.
"If they could widen Trenton, that would be very beneficial," Samantha Cooper said.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Chris.Davis@NewsChannel5.com.
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