GALLATIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — Drivers near Belvedere Drive in Gallatin deal with brake lights and backups as part of a daily routine.
Eyob Kibrit makes the drive almost every day.
"Absolutely, yeah, it got worse… there's really backed up traffic," Kibrit said.
Grayson McCormick also experiences the congestion while driving from Westmoreland into Nashville for her job as a hairstylist.
"I feel like it's definitely been like way more traffic recently," McCormick said.
To address the problem, the Tennessee Department of Transportation said it planned a $130 million project to help drivers get through Gallatin faster. The plan calls for constructing an interchange that extends Vietnam Veterans Parkway beyond where it turns into Long Hollow Pike, eliminating traffic lights that keep drivers stuck.
One major change to the initial project will happen at Belvedere Drive. The new plan removes the intersection entirely, cuts the road off into a dead end, and keeps cars moving through.
"It's kinda frustrating for a lot of drivers… we definitely need a lot of infrastructure," Kibrit said.
The project is driven by cost. TDOT said rising construction costs forced out original plans to reconnect Belvedere Drive with a new road for now.
But some worry the project could come at another kind of cost.
"I don't want it to turn into a concrete jungle like New York. I feel like that's a big thing why people love living in Tennessee because we do have a lot of pretty green places," McCormick said.
The state said it is in the process of acquiring land, and construction is set to start in 2031.
Do you sit in Gallatin traffic near Belvedere Drive every day? We want to hear from you. Watch Kim Rafferty's full report in the video above, and share your experience with the daily commute — or your thoughts on how this $130 million project could change your neighborhood. Reach out directly to Kim at kim.rafferty@NewsChannel5.com
In this article, we used artificial intelligence to help us convert a video news report originally written by Kim Rafferty. When using this tool, both Kim and the NewsChannel 5 editorial team verified all the facts in the article to make sure it is fair and accurate before we published it. We care about your trust in us and where you get your news, and using this tool allows us to convert our news coverage into different formats so we can quickly reach you where you like to consume information. It also lets our journalists spend more time looking into your story ideas, listening to you and digging into the stories that matter.
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