Town to contract traffic study for 118th Wing relocation; Air Guard to reimburse study costs via escrow

Smyrna staff requested authorization to execute a scope-and-fee proposal with Birch Transportation LLC to complete a traffic impact study related to the relocation of the 118th Wing to the Smyrna-Rutherford County Airport.

Charles (staff member) told councilors the Air Guard was not able to set its contracting in place for the fiscal year, so the town is contracting for the study and the Guard will reimburse the town through an escrow account. "They will reimburse us for the expense of that," Charles said.

Council members raised questions about study scope and intersections to be analyzed. One council member noted Weekly Lane at Ninth Avenue and a proposed county forensics center nearby and asked whether those projects would be considered in the study. Charles said Birch will evaluate that intersection and other corridors likely to carry the heaviest traffic to the new gate, including Ninth, G Street and Fitzhugh; staff said the new gate will be a three-lane entrance and that Ninth is the likely primary route.

Staff recommended approval of the scope-and-fee proposal; the transcript excerpt does not include a recorded vote. The study aims to identify whether turn lanes or other geometric improvements will be needed, and staff said the county may also ask the town to coordinate improvements where projects overlap.