TDOT 10-year grant program to not include Bear Creek Pike widening project

Jay Powell, Columbia Daily Herald
·2 min read
Early morning drivers travel through the intersection at Nashville Highway and Bear Creek Pike, what is considered the busiest intersection in the city.
Early morning drivers travel through the intersection at Nashville Highway and Bear Creek Pike, what is considered the busiest intersection in the city.

The project to widen Bear Creek Pike will be put on hold for the time being following the Tennessee Department of Transportation's recent announcement regarding its 10-year plan for roadways.

The announcement was made Monday morning as Columbia and Maury County leaders anxiously awaited confirmation for final funding of the project, which at this point dates back more than a decade.

The city's vision is to take approximately 7.2 miles of road to widen into four lanes, as well as various landscaping upgrades to the Bear Creek/Highway 31 intersection, all in conjunction with the ongoing $29 million upgrades at the Bear Creek I-65 interchange.

The city initially submitted its application in August, highlighting that the city had committed $4.5 million to the project, requesting TDOT commit to approximately $10 million over the next 10 years.

More: City submits funding grant application for Bear Creek widening project

City Manager Tony Massey said, while this isn't great news to hear, the city isn't giving up just yet.

"We did not get good news ... and we were very disappointed to see that the city of Columbia and Bear Creek Pike was not included in the list," Massey said. "We had high hopes, and felt like since we've made such a financial commitment to this, that we'd probably get preferential treatment."

Columbia City Manager Tony Massey attends a meeting regarding affordable housing at City Hall in Columbia, Tenn., on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021.
Columbia City Manager Tony Massey attends a meeting regarding affordable housing at City Hall in Columbia, Tenn., on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021.

Massey added that, according to the list of projects which were approved, there is an indicator that TDOT has its sights mainly set on metro areas and interstate highways. There are also plans to install something similar to toll lanes, or "choice lanes" where drivers would pay a small fee.

"If you want to pay a fee, you can take the express lane and miss some of the traffic going to Nashville every day," Massey said. "That's the concept behind it."

As for now, Massey said the city is "going back to the drawing board" to explore other options. Though this announcement presents something of a setback, it absolutely does not mean the project is dead in the water.

"Just because we didn't get it doesn't mean we are going to quit. We are never going to quit," Massey said.

"We'll just come back with a new strategy, because it's just too important to the community. It's been a priority for our city government for over 10 years and will remain a priority until we can get it. It's a setback, but it's not and end to all things, and so we'll keep an eye on it."

Jay Powell is a general reporter for The Daily Herald. Get up-to-date news in your inbox by subscribing to The Daily Herald newsletter at www.ColumbiaDailyHerald.com.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: TDOT 10-year grant program to not include Bear Creek Pike widening project