[523] Section of Middle Tennessee Blvd. closed to all traffic June 5-26

                                                                                               

MURFREESBORO — The city of Murfreesboro has announced that a section of Middle Tennessee Boulevard — from Bell Street to East Main Street — near the MTSU campus will be closed to all through traffic from Monday, June 6, through Sunday, June 26, for the ongoing road-improvement project.

During the roughly three-week closure, the project contractor will be installing underground utilities, a new box culvert at the Lytle Street intersection, and grading activities throughout the closed section.

East Main Street and Bell Street will remain open during the closure, but those seeking access to the Sam H. Ingram Building will have to use alternate routes to access the west entrance to the property off Lytle Street.

MTSU Parking Services has provided a directional map here to assist university personnel in getting to the building. Parking Services recommends that faculty and staff use this proposed route in order to safely access the Ingram Building during the construction closure.

The arm gate on Old Main Circle at Cope will continue to be open allowing more convenient access to the campus core. Motorists are asked to please observe the 15 mph speed limit to insure the safety of students and staff on Old Main Circle.

Meanwhile, a city of Murfreesboro news release states that all general northbound traffic on MT Boulevard will be detoured onto East Main Street/Rutherford Boulevard and southbound traffic will be detoured onto Greenland Drive/Highland Avenue.

An interactive map on the city of Murfreesboro webpage showing the upcoming traffic pattern changes is available here. Commuters can also follow the “MT Blvd” project on Twitter @MTBLVD or on the City of Murfreesboro Facebook page here.

The $15.7 million improvement project will upgrade the 0.8-mile section of Middle Tennessee Boulevard to a consistent four-lane divided street with a landscaped median between East Main and Greenland Drive. The 30-month project is expected to be completed by the fall of 2018. The enhancement will also include bike lanes, improved sidewalks and lighting, new traffic signals, decorative crosswalks and underground utilities.

Commuters and visitors to the MTSU campus are again encouraged to seek alternative campus access from Greenland Drive, Rutherford Boulevard and East Main Street and take advantage of the university’s Raider Xpress shuttle bus service and the MTSU mobile app downloadable here.  A searchable campus parking map is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParkingMap.

When the MT Boulevard improvement project is completed, the following changes will affect traffic flow along the thoroughfare: 

• Traffic flow on Faulkinberry Drive will change to “right turn in, right turn out” onto Middle Tennessee Boulevard.

• A pull-in area for buses will be added to the front of Murphy Center.

• Signalized pedestrian crossings will be added at Lytle and Division streets, and crosswalks at Bell Street and Faulkinberry Drive will be upgraded.

• Brick walls with signage will be erected at the corners of Greenland Drive, and another wall will be added at East Main Street, to better define the university’s boundaries.

• Flagpoles will be erected at Faulkinberry Drive.

For more information on the closure or the MT Boulevard project, contact city of Murfreesboro engineer Chris Griffith at cgriffith@murfreesborotn.gov or 615-801-2552 or project engineer Mike Stacey at 615-642-3134.