TDOT offers temporary fixes at Mac Hatcher and Royal Oaks; Franklin staff eye $700,000 local construction share
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Summary
A possible partnership with the Tennessee Department of Transportation would add temporary lanes and side-street improvements at Mac Hatcher Parkway and Royal Oaks Boulevard; staff estimates design could be absorbed in the operating budget and construction would be about $700,000, with additional right-of-way work likely near the YMCA.
Franklin — City staff told the Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Nov. 11 that the Tennessee Department of Transportation has proposed a near-term, temporary improvement package for the Mac Hatcher Parkway and Royal Oaks Boulevard intersection that could be folded into an upcoming TDOT resurfacing project.
Paul, public-works staff, said the concept would add at least two additional southbound lanes and possibly two northbound lanes across the bridge, and that local funding would be limited to side-street improvements on Royal Oaks Court and South Royal Oaks such as a westbound double-left turn lane and added right-turn lanes. "The construction's estimated to be about $700,000 is where we're at now," Paul said. Staff said design work could be funded within the department’s operating budget; construction funding would be handled through the capital-improvement program and could require some right-of-way acquisition near the YMCA.
Board reaction: Aldermen welcomed the opportunity to accelerate congestion relief but raised questions about downstream queuing at Lewisburg Pike and whether the proposed lanes would simply shift congestion. Alderman Caesar asked what low-cost actions could be taken at Lewisburg to keep traffic flowing when additional turning capacity at Mac Hatcher causes queues to propagate. Staff said they would pursue a traffic analysis with TDOT and attempt to minimize downstream impacts.
Why it matters: the Mac Hatcher corridor is a key north–south connector with heavy peak congestion; temporary lane additions tied to TDOT resurfacing could provide relief years before a full widening project currently scheduled for 2032.
Next steps: staff said they expect rapid design work and will bring interlocal-agreement language and construction-cost estimates back to the board for approval as necessary. They also noted the improvements were intended to be durable and to align with the longer-term Southeast Mac Hatcher widening plan.
