Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Closure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
TDOT plans multiweek Big Springs Avenue closure for bridge work; city to coordinate school and traffic impacts
Summary
Tennessee Department of Transportation will close Big Springs Avenue at Wilson Avenue from May 27 to July 30, 2025, for bridge work. City staff and TDOT said they will coordinate limited morning ingress and afternoon egress during school to reduce disruption and TDOT will fund on-site traffic control where required.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation will close Big Springs Avenue at Wilson Avenue beginning Tuesday, May 27, 2025, with a target reopening of Wednesday, July 30, 2025, to allow for bridge repairs and related construction, City Administrator Mister Quick told the Board of Mayor and Aldermen.
The closure, approved unanimously 7-0 by the board, follows joint meetings between city staff and TDOT representatives including Clint Carpenter and Houston Tanner. City staff and TDOT described a plan to limit disruption once school resumes by allowing one-lane morning ingress and one-lane afternoon egress and by staging on-site personnel such as patrol officers, school resource officers or crossing guards to facilitate safe traffic flow.
“The turn is such a 90 degree turn that they’re concerned for safety,” Mister Quick said when explaining the scope of the work. He said TDOT “would be willing to take on” the expense of personnel needed to stage the lane controls while school is in session.
TDOT representatives told the board that June and July are typically the most productive months for the kind of work planned and that a small amount of schedule slippage for weather is built into the plan. “Not a whole lot. But that’s a pretty dependable time of year for working days,” a TDOT representative said during the meeting.
City and school officials discussed potential effects on Tullahoma City Schools. Mister Quick said summer operations on campus are light and that impacts during the summer should be minimal; he noted graduation and other large events could require adjustments. Dr. Stevenson, a school official who spoke during the meeting, confirmed conversation with city staff about events that could be affected.
Local businesses that rely on Kraft Lane for tractor-trailer deliveries raised concerns. City staff said Kraft Lane would not be closed because the lane provides needed turning radius for large deliveries; closing it would impose “a tremendous impact” on several companies, the city administrator said.
City staff said they will continue meeting with TDOT as the work progresses and will coordinate with the school system and affected businesses on any additional mitigations or schedule changes. The board voted 7-0 to approve the TDOT request as presented.
