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Nolensville officials weigh local participation to accelerate Nolensville Road widening in state SPP grant process
Summary
Staff briefed commissioners on the town’s ongoing Nolensville Road complete-street project and options for the town to advance preliminary engineering or right-of-way work to make an SPP grant application more competitive with TDOT. Officials urged unity in lobbying and asked staff to supply cost ranges for different local-participation levels.
Town staff and consultants updated the Board of Commissioners May 19 on the status of the Nolensville Road complete-street project and the town’s intent to submit an application to the Tennessee Strategic Planning Program (SPP) to seek state funds or partnership for a multi-year widening and safety upgrade.
Background and current status - The town has already contracted and expended funds (staff reported roughly $400,000 to date) on preliminary engineering for the Nolensville Road project. Consultants working on the project underwent staffing changes; staff said the existing contract may be renegotiated to retain earlier team members if feasible.
- Staff described the practical reality of the SPP/TIP (Transportation Improvement Program) process: projects are placed on a multi-year list, sometimes as far as 10 years out; local contribution or “work in kind” to advance NEPA/environmental and design work can improve the town’s competitiveness and potentially accelerate TDOT’s participation.
Town options and examples - Chuck (consulting/attorney/staff) and Victor (town manager) said the town must decide how much local commitment to offer: zero (ask TDOT to take over), partial (advance preliminary engineering or NEPA) or full (design, right-of-way acquisition, permitting). No single contribution amount guarantees earlier scheduling; the experience of nearby Thompson’s Station, which provided a $15 million local contribution for a project already on TDOT’s 10-year plan, was discussed as an example with many contextual differences.
- Staff recommended gathering order-of-magnitude cost estimates for each project element (preliminary engineering, full design, right-of-way) so the board can decide what level of investment it would be willing to make. Staff also recommended a unified lobbying and outreach effort with state representatives.
Why it matters: Nolensville Road is a major arterial with traffic and safety issues that will become more acute as the town grows. Participation in the SPP process and targeted local investment could shorten an otherwise long timeline for state-led work but would require careful financial planning and a unified municipal position.
Ending: Commissioners asked staff for detailed cost ranges and for further analysis of what local steps most improve an SPP application’s competitiveness. Staff said applications open in July and urged the board to finalize its position promptly.
