Highway 109 in Wilson County will be expanded from two to five lanes in various areas due to the county's booming population.
"That area is booming, and the whole 109 corridor is something we've been working on for a long time. It goes from I-40 basically to I-65," Kathryn Schulte said.
Wilson County residents who use Highway 109 between Gallatin, Lebanon or Mt. Juliet are expected to see construction signs going up soon.
"Right now, if you start on 109 from I-40 there's a nice wide part up until you get to Highway 70, and that's where we're about to start widening," said Schulte.
According to Tennessee Department of Transportation officials, the $50.9 million project involves seven miles of highway.
"There's a lot of growth there right now and 109 is one of the major north south corridors in the area so once we get this widening completed it will really make mobility a lot better," Schulte said.
Schulte said the project is about decreasing traffic as well as improving safety.
This narrow highway can often be dangerous for drivers.
"It makes it difficult right now for emergency vehicles to get through when there is a crash because they're just stuck in that congestion," Schulte said.
Construction was set to begin in March and it was scheduled to be finished in 2020. Officials said they hope the short-term pain will be a long term gain.
"Right now we have about 24,000 vehicles a day that use it and basically that number's going to double over the next 20 years," Schulte said.
On Tuesday night, a meeting was held at Life Church at 6 p.m. to discuss the highway expansion. The project manager took questions from residents.
