Enjoying and Sharing Life in Rural Tennessee
No Four-Lane to McMinnville: Could it be Good News?
The much anticipated four-lane highway connecting Woodbury to McMinnville will not become a reality anytime in the near future, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation. A lack of Federal funding has caused the Department to significantly shorten the length of the highway and it will not even come close to reaching Woodbury.
Cannon and Warren County residents have anticipated the construction of the highway for the last several years and its completion would have meant a much easier commute between the two locations. Currently, Woodbury is connected to McMinnville by a two-lane highway that is often congested, which makes for a very long trip. The new highway would have also given Warren County residents a much more convenient way to Murfreesboro by connecting the new highway with the old four-lane highway to Murfreesboro.
The Department of Transportation has already started construction on certain parts of the road and those portions will be completed as planned. Since Woodbury has been cut out of the equation, the road will connect McMinnville to Centertown, but Centertown will be the end of the highway. No word has been given yet on whether the highway will ever be extended to Woodbury but, as of right now, construction will stop at Centertown.
Personally, I believe the construction of the highway would have disrupted the Town of Woodbury for years during construction. Plus the new road would eventually bypass the Historic Downtown Public Square and been a threat to economic growth downtown. While it would have been easier to get from one side of Woodbury to the other, the traffic count of potential customers would have been a great loss to merchants.
Woodbury has the potential of a diamond in the rough. Plans are to beautify the Courthouse Square with new lighting paid with a grant. Downtown business owners should look at the positive side of the decision and pull together to make downtown Woodbury the place to be.
Cannon and Warren County residents have anticipated the construction of the highway for the last several years and its completion would have meant a much easier commute between the two locations. Currently, Woodbury is connected to McMinnville by a two-lane highway that is often congested, which makes for a very long trip. The new highway would have also given Warren County residents a much more convenient way to Murfreesboro by connecting the new highway with the old four-lane highway to Murfreesboro.
The Department of Transportation has already started construction on certain parts of the road and those portions will be completed as planned. Since Woodbury has been cut out of the equation, the road will connect McMinnville to Centertown, but Centertown will be the end of the highway. No word has been given yet on whether the highway will ever be extended to Woodbury but, as of right now, construction will stop at Centertown.
Personally, I believe the construction of the highway would have disrupted the Town of Woodbury for years during construction. Plus the new road would eventually bypass the Historic Downtown Public Square and been a threat to economic growth downtown. While it would have been easier to get from one side of Woodbury to the other, the traffic count of potential customers would have been a great loss to merchants.
Woodbury has the potential of a diamond in the rough. Plans are to beautify the Courthouse Square with new lighting paid with a grant. Downtown business owners should look at the positive side of the decision and pull together to make downtown Woodbury the place to be.
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