FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — The City of Franklin is planning a $4 million project to widen the busy intersection of Liberty Pike and Royal Oaks Boulevard to alleviate heavy traffic congestion.
Sky 5 flew over the intersection before it was too crowded this morning. Drivers in that area know it can get busy and backed up in a hurry, but that may be about to change.
Given years of growth and development, many have spent their fair share waiting in traffic at Liberty Pike and Royal Oaks Boulevard. I use that intersection all the time and went to city officials to learn about the new plans intended to make traffic flow.
"It’s definitely an issue," one person said.
"It has a very bad traffic at peak hour back up," another person said.
The intersection is yet another symptom of the growth in Williamson County.
"There’s a lot of development on that side of the interstate, a lot of development up here," Paul Holzen said.
Paul Holzen with the City of Franklin said there is now a $4 million solution to widen the intersection, which does not include a roundabout. He explained that because of the amount of land needed, roundabouts were going to cost almost four times more than the approved plan.
"There’s a good chance it will have double left, double throughs and a right turn lane," Holzen said.
That means after formal traffic analyses, Liberty would be widened to seven lanes, and Mallory at Royal Oaks would be widened to seven lanes.
"It will be bigger. It will be wider. It will move traffic much better," Holzen said.
But with Centennial High School on one corner, there are some big safety concerns, especially for bicyclists and pedestrians. Bike Walk Franklin does not deny the intersection needs some help, but they hope city leaders will prioritize ways to make it safer.
"Seven lanes is very scary to cross, something parents don’t want their kids crossing. We think that’s ultimately going to lead to more congestion and more parents having to drive to school," a representative for Bike Walk Franklin said.
"We are really hoping there’s some design elements they can consider to make it a little less onerous to get across seven lanes of traffic," Ned Dannenberg said.
"We'll try to do some lane narrowing, sidewalk improvement and pedestrian facility to accommodate peds long-term," Holzen said.
Until then, drivers will just have to wait a little longer for the light.
The new intersection is estimated to be completed in 2030. Construction should start in about three years and will last about a year.
This story was reported on-air by Amanda Roberts and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
