Sidewalks, bridges, roads, oh my!

The new South Harpeth Road bridge over Brush Creek is now open to traffic – restoring a rural route from Kingston Springs to Highway 100 east of Fairview.

The old bridge was closed in the fall of 2020 when the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) deemed it unsafe for travel. It was then put on TDOT’s replacement schedule, and work was completed a few weeks ago – although some construction materials remain.

The new bridge’s completion is good news for residents of the South Harpeth Road area, who had been forced for more than two years to take alternative routes to get from Kingston Springs to their farms and homes.

South Harpeth Road also is a popular route to get to Franklin, since Highway 96 is a short distance from where South Harpeth Road intersects with Highway 100.

While the Brush Creek bridge is now open, another bridge near South Harpeth Road will be closed for repairs beginning June 5, according to Cheatham County. Work on the Anderson Road bridge over the South Harpeth River is expected to take about a year.

Meanwhile, across I-40, construction crews have finally finished the sidewalk project on Luyben Hills Road near the interstate exit.

That project, which cost around $1 million, took about 13 months to complete – three months longer than originally projected. City officials say the delays were due to weather, movement of utility lines to new poles, and the availability of construction materials such as precast drainage pipe.

A TDOT Multimodal Access Grant provided most of the funding for the project, which added sidewalks to both sides of Luyben Hills Road.

The sidewalk on one side of the road is wider than usual in order to make it safe for both pedestrians and bicyclists to use. The sidewalks also are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

City officials say this sidewalk project was worth the hassle because Luyben Hills Road is the gateway to Kingston Springs for many travelers. They say the project created a better first impression for Kingston Springs, not only from the new sidewalks, but also by moving utility poles farther from the road, adding greenspace and making entrances to businesses along the road more obvious.

Another sidewalk project is under construction on Harpeth View Trail.

This project, estimated to cost $520,000, will add a sidewalk along the Harpeth Middle School side of Harpeth View Trail. This sidewalk project will extend from East Kingston Springs Road to Cedar Court. A later phase will extend the sidewalk to Woodlands Drive, and then down Woodlands to East Kingston Springs Road, which already has sidewalks.

Most of the funding for this project will come from a federal Safe Routes to School grant. The sidewalk will make it safer for children to walk and bike to Harpeth Middle School and Harpeth High School.

The first phase of this sidewalk project is expected to be completed in September.